


Don't Tell A Soul

by cosmoenot



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: (kind of) slow burn, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassin AU, Assassin!Naegi, Basically a Glorified Character Study, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Even Though He is an Assassin, Fluff and Angst, Fluff with a side of angst, Friends to Lovers, Genocider Syo & Naegi Are Pals, I Tried, I kinda know what to do with this story, It's Definitely One, Kinda not, Kirigiri Knows More Than She Lets On, M/M, Main Focus is Naegami, Mostly from Makoto though, Naegi Isn't a Pushover, Naegi is a Cinnamon Roll, Oh who am I kidding, Probably Minor Background Ships, Remember that time I said this only had some plot, Slow Burn, Some Plot, They/Them Pronouns for Alter Ego, Togami Has Feelings and He Hates Them, We all know Byakuya's pining too, What Did I Mean By Kinda Slow Burn, don't tell me otherwise, gap moe ???, no beta we die like men, pining (kind of), well i lied
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 85,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24934144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmoenot/pseuds/cosmoenot
Summary: Naegi Makoto was not a name you heard often. Most heard the name being passed around in quiet whispers of secrecy. Most heard the name floating around in corrupt government facilities. Most saw it in the depths of the deep web. Naegi Makoto was an assassin.He came from a long line of assassins and hitmen and was the last in his family to take up the job. His name was known well by anyone who had a reason to know it. Eventually, he was scouted out by Hope’s Peak Academy and labelled the Ultimate Assassin. For good reason too, he was the best high school assassin around.Or,What if Naegi was actually the Ultimate Assassin and lied about being the Ultimate Lucky Student?
Relationships: Naegi Makoto & Everyone, Naegi Makoto & Togami Byakuya, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 176
Kudos: 767
Collections: Mixed_Fics, Quality Fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bloodstained](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5260781) by [sidetone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidetone/pseuds/sidetone). 



> Hey, welcome to the first fic I've ever posted here! I'm kind of nervous to share this with you since I've never done this sort of thing before, but I figured I would just go for it. I apologize for any gaps or inconsistencies in my logic. I tried to make this AU make sense but it turned out to be more difficult than I expected. For clarity, I plan to make each chapter equal to one chapter in the game. I understand that it could make the chapters exponentially long but I wanted to do it this way. I can't promise that I'll stay true to my word, but I plan to write like that. Updates could be slow because of how I plan to write, so keep that in mind. Secondly, I have made the decision to start the story all the way at the beginning of the game. I thought that it would add to the plot if I started there. I know a lot of stories dive in at around chapter two, so if starting all the way at the beginning bothers you then feel free to leave now. I thought I should mention it. Lastly, the trials and investigations aren't the focus of the story. I might go more in-depth with trials that are important to the plot, but the first trial isn't that important so I'll be breezing through it. Sorry for rambling on, let's get into the first chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Makoto woke up sitting at a desk, in a room that he had never seen before. His mind was fuzzy and he wasn’t sure how he got there. The last thing that he remembered was walking into Hope's Peak Academy for the entrance ceremony. It seemed like he was in one of the school’s classrooms. Odd. How did he get in a classroom if he didn’t remember going there? What was even stranger was the fact that on the wall to the left of him, two metal plates were bolted there. Why would someone need to cover up the place where the windows should be? It didn’t seem like anyone was in the room with him, so he stood up and turned towards the door. Before he left though, he spotted a colorful piece of paper on one of the desks. He walked towards it and picked it up to inspect it. It read _‘Hey there new kid! The next semester is about to start. Starting today this school will be your entire world.’_ What a strange orientation pamphlet. Makoto had a feeling that something was very wrong. He set down the crude pamphlet and prepared to turn towards the door again. Before he could, Makoto finally noticed the large security camera pointed directly at him. What in the world is going on? There should be no reason for a school to have such blatant and comical security cameras. If they needed security then a more remote option would have benefited them. He decided that he needed to see if anyone else was in the school with him. Maybe they could give him some answers too?

Makoto left the room and entered the hallway. He wondered where anyone could be? The hallways were filled with stagnant air, punctuated by the silence and lack of people. Makoto strode down the hallway into a larger area divided by a pillar in the center. He heard a quiet murmuring coming from the room on the back wall. It sounded like voices. He walked through the doorway and was greeted by over a dozen other people. After a quick headcount, he discovered it was precisely fourteen. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. He took notice of the large vault-looking door blocking what he assumed was the entrance to the school. Before he had a chance to question them about the curious situation, a tall boy with wild hair spoke up.

“Woah, hey! Another new kid!” Makoto looked over the room again. These must be his classmates, then. He looked back at the man. “Then you guys are all-”

“Yeah.” A short, timid girl spoke. “-We’re all new here. Today’s supposed to be our first day of class.”

A large boy with glasses spoke up next. “So, counting him, that makes fifteen. It seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone.”

Standing around him were fourteen other ultimate students. He recognized some of them from when he had researched the school. Although this posed a bit of a problem. Makoto would rather not share his ultimate ability with anyone. It never seemed to go well whenever people found out that he was the Ultimate Assassin. People feared him, even hated him, just because he made his living as an assassin. Of course, he wouldn’t like to lie to everyone, but he supposed that it was better for everyone if something like that stayed a secret. He was quite lonely these days, so he wanted to give himself an advantage. Finally, he would have a chance to make some real friends who wouldn’t be blinded by his talent and would just see the real him. He may be an assassin, a hitman, a _murderer_ , but that didn’t mean that he was bloodthirsty or _really_ condoned acts like that. He just happened to make a living that way. -And be very, _very_ good at it. The best of the best.

Makoto steeled himself. As long as he concentrated and was careful, then he could do this. After all, to be an assassin you need to be a phenomenal liar. Thankfully that was something he could manage. “Um- How’s it going? My name is Naegi Makoto. Sorry I’m late, A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just- asleep.” If Makoto was lucky he could avoid mentioning having any talent at all. But he wasn’t the _Ultimate Lucky Student_ , now was he? Makoto knew he needed a cover, but what? Lying about an important ultimate talent would be a bad idea, and besides, he would have to choose something that would cater to his true hobbies and abilities. Unfortunately- _and fortunately_ in regards to his actual talent- Makoto was plain. Boring. Vanilla. Average. He really had nothing else going for him. What talent would he not have to prove if he claimed to have it? His gaze swept the room as he looked for a certain face. After looking through it again and again, he couldn’t find it. The face of the Ultimate Lucky Student. If he wasn’t here, then perhaps that would be the perfect cover. Naegi Makoto, the Ultimate Lucky Student. _Perfect_.

Makoto was broken out of his musings when the tall boy spoke again. “Woah, you too?” A few other students chimed in as well, adding their two cents. Then, a peppy girl suggested that everyone introduce themselves. Makoto had no objections and headed over to the first person. He introduced himself as Naegi Makoto, the Ultimate Lucky Student. The girl, whose name was apparently Asahina, didn’t seem to suspect that he had lied about his talent. Some tension left him after he got to confirm that he was indeed safe from being outed. If anyone had discovered him now, that would’ve been tragic. After all, he did just get here. What kind of assassin would he be if he wasn’t able to upkeep his lie for at _least_ a few days?

He chose the remaining people he spoke to very carefully, leaving the two most interesting for last. A tall boy sharply dressed and wearing glasses and a girl whose aura _radiated_ mysteriousness. He sauntered up to the girl. Even as he stood in front of her, she said nothing.

“Um- can I ask your name?”

She hesitated for a moment before answering.

“My name is Kirigiri Kyoko.”

“What is your ultimate talent?”

She hesitated once more.

“Why should I tell you?”

She seemed like the silent type. He didn’t recognize her from anywhere, so he assumed that her ultimate talent had something to do with a more underground profession. She probably had a similar talent to him in regard to the fact that no one would’ve known her identity. Interesting. He better keep an eye on this one. She seemed dangerous.

He walked away from her and walked up to the last person he needed to talk to. Makoto’s first impression was that the boy was really attractive. Like, _unfairly so_. Makoto willed away those thoughts and prepared to question h- _introduce himself_. He was going to _introduce himself_ , not interrogate the poor boy. If he was going to keep up this lie then he better put his assassin instincts at the back of his mind. He stood in front of the boy and he only gave Makoto a swift glance. His mannerisms screamed egotistical rich boy, and it only intrigued Makoto more. The haughty, prideful ones are tough nuts to crack, but Makoto loves a challenge.

“Name’s Togami Byakuya.” It took all of Makoto’s willpower not to look surprised. He was _the_ Togami Byakuya? As in the heir to the Togami cooperation? _Damn_. Makoto was more correct than he could’ve ever imagined. He was the richest rich boy out of all rich boys. Color him surprised.

“I assume that you are aware of who I am. -But _who_ exactly are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. Not that I would’ve. You obviously come from a _low-income household._ ” That was the _rudest_ way that he could’ve asked what Makoto’s talent was, but what else did he suspect? Egotistical bastards are never nice. It is a shame that his pretty face was wasted on such an awful personality though. Or- maybe it wasn’t. There was always the possibility that there was in fact something else inside. Makoto noted that he should find Togami later and try to break his facade.

“Oh- Sorry. I’m Naegi Makoto. I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student.” Togami nodded then turned away. Makoto supposed that the conversation was over now.

After a short while, a loud school bell rang through the room. A few monitors that littered the room flickered on and the sound of a voice carried through the speakers. It sounded oddly cheerful and happy, so much so that it was unsettling. Makoto repressed a shiver. Something about that voice creeped him out. It quickly told them all to go to the gym to start the opening ceremony. Makoto hoped that whoever would be there to greet them- _hopefully_ , the headmaster- wouldn’t reveal his talent. He was sure he notified the school not to share it. The last time someone found out, they never talked to him again. Makoto felt a rush of sadness wash over him. Surely they were aware of that. Though there was no point in dwelling on it, now was there? If it happened again, how would he stop it? He stopped his train of thought and left for the gym with everyone else.

Once they all managed to gather in the gym, a strange-looking stuffed animal popped out from the podium on the stage. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Why would a strange stuffed bear appear? This made no sense. Before he could focus his attention on the bear, he lost himself in thought. His mind sifted through possibility after possibility. _Why are they the only ones here? Why did they all wake up in classrooms? Why do they not remember?_ His train of thought only broke when the bear spoke. “-Killing game!” He only caught the end of its sentence. In any other circumstance, he most likely would’ve focused on the fact that a stuffed bear was talking. This time, however, the bear had said the words _killing game_. What on earth could that mean? He scolded himself for tuning out for so long. He probably missed a lot of important information. He’ll ask one of his classmates for it later.

Then, as if the talking stuffed bear read his mind, it began to elaborate. Once it was done with its explanation of the supposed killing game, taking a few questions from his mortified classmates, Makoto was suddenly very glad that he chose to lie about his talent. If this bear was telling the truth, if _anyone_ knew about his talent, then it would’ve caused more problems than he could have ever imagined. _Not only_ would people look at him like he was a monster, but they would also suspect him to murder someone! That is _if_ the bear was telling the truth.

It seemed like many others had the same thoughts because many protests rang through the room. Though, considering the circumstances, Makoto was willing to take the bear's declaration as the truth. They all walked into the school only to pass out and wake up in a classroom. No one but the fifteen of them seemed to inhabit the school. Every place where a window should be was boarded up with metal plates. Hell, even the supposed entrance to the school was covered with a large metal door that would be near impossible to break. It all added up. The bear had to have been telling the truth, even as outlandish as it sounded. -And Makoto was never one to ignore the truth. Ignoring something _so obvious_ just to spare your feelings- or anyone else's- is completely pointless. Although, it seems that he was the only one who came to this conclusion.

Makoto decided that it would be best to speak out. “Everyone- _stop_. It's useless. The bear has to be telling the truth. Don’t you all think it’s odd? We all woke up in deserted classrooms, not remembering how we got there. It also seems like there is no one in the school with us. All possible exits seem to be blocked as well. I’d say that the bear _seems_ to be telling the truth.” Everyone’s faces turned from horror to shock. They must’ve not expected such a soft-spoken, kind boy to be the one to put things in perspective. Before anyone could respond to him though, he turned to the bear. “As for you. I don’t care whether or not you’re telling the truth. But if you are, then I have something I’d like to say. No one will be killing anyone. Not if I have anything to say about it. I’ll make sure that your sick and twisted plans are sabotaged. I have no idea what makes you think that you can make us murder each other, but it isn’t going to happen. I’ll make sure we all get out of here alive- without the need for murder.”

Makoto glared at the bear. If it was telling the truth, he didn’t want anyone to die. More specifically, he didn’t want anyone to become a murderer. He knew better than _anyone_ the grief and guilt that you carry with you when you commit murder. No matter how many he has committed, nor if it is how he makes his living, he will _never_ be freed from his sins. He doesn’t want any of these innocent people to deal with that. He knows more than anyone how hard it is. The bear chuckled. “ Wow- That was impressive! Sabotage my plans! Hilarious! -And I thought you would be the first one to take the plunge!”

Makoto visibly winced at the implication of those words. Although he took offense to them, he could see where the bear was coming from. It looked like he was the most likely to kill, even if he was against it. Makoto stayed silent. It couldn’t help him to acknowledge that statement, as that would also reveal that he understood what the bear meant. He didn't need to give anyone a reason to believe that he was capable of murder. 

A few people begged to be let go. Makoto knew that this would be useless, the bear _obviously_ wasn’t going to do that. If it was dead set on making them participate in this _‘killing school life’_ then they weren’t leaving anytime soon, that was for sure. “There you go again, begging to be let go! I told you already! This school is now your permanent home, so feel free to go on a kill-kill-killing spree!”

The tension was rising in the room as many peoples faces shifted to horror once again. Then, Owada stormed up to the bear. “Listen up asshole! This shit has gone _way_ too far! What the hell kinda’ joke is this!?”

The bear tilted his head innocently. “What joke? Like your hair?”

Owada seethed in anger. Suddenly he launched himself into the air and straight for the bear. He grabbed it and held it up high. “Gotcha’ you little piece of shit! I don’t know if you’re a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I’m going to rip you to fuckin’ shreds!”

The bear cried out. “Violence against headmaster Monokuma is in violation of school regulations!” Owada shook the bear in his grasp, seemingly getting angrier and angrier by the second. “Shut the fuck up! Let me out of here or I swear-” Owada was cut off when the bear- _Monokuma_ , apparently- started to beep. Makoto’s sweatdropped. He knew that sound all too well. It haunted him.

“ _What_ , no smart-ass comment this time?” The beeping got faster. Makoto knew that it could give him away but he couldn’t let Owada die.

“Owada! Throw it! _Now_!” “Huh- why!”

Makoto tried his hardest to sound stern as he said his next words. “Just do it!”

Owada picked up Monokuma and threw him across the gym. Makoto covered his ears. The beeping continued faster and faster until it blew up in mid-air. Owada stared at the spot where it detonated. “The hell!? That sure as shit wasn’t a joke, it blew the hell up!”

Makoto blew out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. He looked around at his fellow classmates to try and deduce if any of them found him suspicious after recognizing the sound as a bomb so quickly. As expected both Kirigiri and Togami had their attention fully on him. He knew those two would be a problem. He supposed being suspected for something was better than Owada being blown up, though.

Before anyone could comment on the fact that Monokuma was gone now, another one popped up again.

“Wha- There’s _another one_?” A surprised voice said. Makoto was two busy taking note of the fact that Monokuma seemed to have spares to know who said it.

“When I said violence against the headmaster was _prohibited_ , I meant it! Let this be a lesson to everyone. Anyways, I have one last thing to give to you all! Your E-Handbooks! They are absolutely essential to your life here so try not to lose them! Don’t worry about breaking them though, they are indestructible. They have all of your school rules and regulations on them, so look them over when you have the time. You wouldn’t want to break a rule after what just happened, _would you?_ ”

Everyone was silent as Monokuma passed out the handbooks. It seems like they had finally realized that this bear is serious. Took them long enough. Makoto opened his handbook and flipped through the rules. There weren't many, so he figured it would be easy to follow them. Although he needed to be careful. His handbook revealed his real ultimate talent when you opened it. He better be sure he keeps it with him at all times.

“Okay! That officially concluded your entrance ceremony! Feel free to explore to your heart's content!” With that, Monokuma disappeared. After he left everyone looked around at each other. There were a few murmurs about whether or not this is real, but Togami shut those people down.

“Right now it doesn’t really matter if it’s real or fake, what really matters is if there is anyone here who’s seriously considering all of this.”

Togami’s words hit everyone pretty hard. If he was going to say something like that, why did he have to say it in such a cruel way? Makoto knew that from the looks on their faces, everyone started to doubt each other. _Was anyone going to betray them? Were they going to die?_ Thankfully, Asahina didn’t let anyone linger on those thoughts too long. “Well, let's just forget about that silly junk about murders or whatever. Now that we know the rules, we should all explore the school together.” Everyone seemed to be in agreement with that idea. Leave it to Togami to keep them from cooperating.

“I’ll be going alone. Someone here might’ve already started thinking about murdering one of us. Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them? I don’t think so. I’m just acting in accordance with what is best for me. I’ll be off.”

Owada walked over to Togami, rage emanating from him once more. “Hold on! Like hell I’m going to let you run off and do whatever you want!”

Togami glared at him. “Get out of my way, plankton.”

“Wha- What the fuck is that supposed to mean!?”

“One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So minuscule, insignificant, they couldn’t possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean.”

Owada clenched his fists looking about ready to bash Togami’s face in. “I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Makoto felt like if things get any worse, that he should intervene. He knows that showing any hint at his combat skills would be a bad idea, but there is no way that Togami is going to take a hit from a guy that big without getting hurt.

Makoto steeled himself and stepped between them. “Stop, we shouldn’t fight!” Owada looked even more provoked.

“The fuck did you just say? You some kinda’ goody-goody little bitch!? Who do you think you are talkin’ to me like that? You think you’re my fuckin’ dad or somethin’!?” Makoto had a bad feeling, but he stood his ground.

“No, I wasn’t-”

_"Fuck you!”_

Suddenly Owada lunged forwards and Makoto saw his fist flying fast straight towards his face. He had mere seconds to calculate his next move. He knew he shouldn’t go too overboard as to warrant suspicion, so he decided to go for the safer approach. The safest approach that there was when you were trying to save both yourself and the boy behind you from a punch.

Makoto pushed Owada’s fist off course with his forearm, backing away in the process. He landed on his feet right in front of Togami. Owada stumbled a bit but caught himself. Everyone’s eyes were on him. He felt like he should’ve let himself get hit- like it would’ve been a better trade-off. _Save Togami and yourself from a sucker-punch and become more suspicious, or take the punch and most definitely pass out._ Well, _what’s done is done_.

He turned to Togami, his eyes checking him over. “Are you okay?” Togami looked mildly horrified. It must’ve confused him. A lot of people wouldn’t suspect his strength because of his short stature and slim body, but he could hold his own quite well. He was well versed in combat, after all. He wasn’t the strongest but he definitely wasn’t weak.

Togami blinked a few times before his usual scowl replaced his shock. He clicked his tongue. “Of course I’m okay, _I_ wasn’t the one who was almost punched by that _cretin_.” Makoto half expected Owada to retort but when he didn’t Makoto looked over at Owada.

He was staring at his fist with a blank expression. He then looked up at Makoto, and then back at his fist. He repeated this process a few times before walking up to Makoto. Owada held his hand in front of Makoto, and Makoto stared at it for a moment. Was he supposed to shake it? _What brought that on?_ Makoto shook Owada’s hand. Owada gave him a nod of approval and then walked back over to where he was standing. Did Owada just recognize him? As a worthy opponent? Huh, how strange. Makoto decided not to dwell on it too much.

After a bit of conversing, everyone finally had a plan. Most of his classmates had divided into small groups and prepared to search the school. -But Makoto thought that it would be a good idea to keep an eye on one of the more _dangerous_ people. He knew that both Togami and Kirigiri were definite threats to his secret _staying a secret_. They were annoyingly perceptive from what he noticed. Kirigiri seemed like she didn’t trust easily, and she was most likely very suspicious of him. He better not bother. If he tried to sneak after her, she would be sure to notice. He didn’t expect something like that to get past a girl like her. Even with his impeccable skills. Togami on the other hand, seemed like he might be slightly easier to follow, no matter if he was as cautious as Kirigiri or not. If he went about it in the right way, Makoto would be able to keep a close eye on him. Togami turned to leave without another word.

While everyone else was distracted, Makoto snuck out of the room and trailed after Togami.

Togami separating from the group couldn’t be a good thing. He was convinced that _they_ were the suspicious ones when that really wasn’t the case. Purposefully straying from the group made _him_ look like a threat. Not that Makoto thought that he would actually try anything. Better safe than sorry, though.

Togami turned the corner and Makoto quietly followed him. He couldn’t get caught. Not when he had already risked so much at the ‘entrance ceremony.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto makes some friends and discovers the secret hidden in his dorm room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm back- and it only took me three weeks! I hope you enjoy this chapter, but I really don't think its that interesting. This chapter is basically Chapter One of Trigger Happy Havoc + Assassin Makoto's internal thoughts. There are some inconsistencies here and there, but I hope they don't bother anyone. I'm really trying here. Anywho, let's get into the chapter!

Makoto watched Togami as he walked into the corridor labeled the ‘Despair Hotel.’ He hung back and waited a few seconds before following Togami, lurking in the shadows of the corridor to avoid being caught. He watched as Togami strode down the hall, taking in his surroundings. If Makoto wanted to observe Togami then it seemed that he would have to do it from afar. Togami seemed like the kind of guy who would be next to impossible to get close to due to his prickly nature. If Makoto was unable to get close to him, what was he going to do? Makoto found himself _really_ curious about Togami. He thought it could be because they were very different. Togami seemed to drive people away by being cold and harsh, yet Makoto was friendly and kind to everyone that he met. He supposed they had one thing in common though- the fact that neither seemed to have any friends. Makoto had no idea who would want to be friends with someone who would verbally abuse you every time you got near them, nor someone who made it their living by killing people. 

Makoto wasn’t sure why he wanted to waste his time on a boy who seemed like he would rather do _literally anything else_ then have a friend though. He could be spending his time on someone he didn’t have to follow around in the shadows. He could _also_ be following the _other_ mysterious person here- though he only dismissed the possibility of spying on Kirigiri because of her apparent observantness. So _Why in hell_ would he choose to spy on someone equally as likely to catch him? Maybe he shouldn’t be spying on anyone at all. -But for some reason, Makoto was just drawn to Togami. It was strange, really. For such an abrasive and closed off boy, Togami made Makoto _want_ to talk to him- to befriend him. He was sure that there wouldn’t be much for him to do in this empty school, so attempting to befriend the most difficult person here- aside from Kirigiri- sounded like a good idea to him. 

Makoto was too busy thinking about the boy in question to realize that he had been staring at Makoto for what seemed to be a few seconds now. Makoto grew pale. His thoughts had run wild once again and he got distracted. Distracted enough to get caught. Following Togami. He really was off his game today. Togami narrowed his eyes as he approached Makoto. If he hadn’t seen scarier looks in his lifetime, he would’ve quivered in fear. Togami could look _scary_ if he wanted to. 

“Naegi. What were you doing following me here?”

Makoto wracked his brain for a solid answer that wasn’t _‘I was stalking you.’_ He smiled sheepishly and scratched his cheek out of habit. “Well- I wanted to see where you were going. You didn’t really seem like you wanted anyone to go with you so I decided to hang back.”

Togami’s frown deepened. The prospect of Makoto following him seemed to annoy him. Togami spun around and said nothing, leaving Makoto at the entrance to the ‘hotel.’ Makoto watched as he walked down the hallway and eyed each doorway. Togami then pulled out a small slim object- a key, Makoto realized- and unlocked one of the doors. He swiftly stepped inside, slamming the door behind him. Makoto decided that waiting around for Togami to come out of his room would be a waste of time so he headed over to his own room. 

He fumbled for the key and haphazardly opened the door. Once he locked it behind him, he swung around to take in his surroundings. His room was average, to say the least. There didn’t seem to be anything of note. Makoto inspected each corner of the room, attempting to notice any threats. Although, he did notice a very large painting in the back of the room. It was of a beautiful cottage surrounded by many trees and flowers. It seemed strange to him because it was one of the only paintings decorating his room- and he never really bought any paintings for himself. Sure there were a few more average-sized paintings scattered around, but they were nowhere near the size of this one. He supposed checking behind the paintings would be useful. He was sure that if there was anywhere someone could access the room and attack him, it would be behind one of the paintings. He also figured that since this was _his_ room, there must be something in there for him. 

Makoto checked behind each of the smaller paintings but found nothing. He supposed that the only thing that could fit behind them was a safe or small crawl space. That still left the large painting though. He walked up to it, gripping the edges of the frame and lifting it. It took a large amount of effort for him to remove it from the wall- even for someone as strong as he was. It seemed like the frame was weighted. He knew that most people wouldn’t be able to remove it. He set the painting down against the wall and looked back up at the empty space. There sat a small door in the wall with an inset handle. A flat, rectangular lock sat unopened on the door. He must not have seen it since the painting's frame was carved out in the center. 

Makoto removed the lock and tugged at the door handle, revealing a small room in the wall. Makoto climbed inside and stared at each of the walls in shock. The room was no bigger than a storage closet but it held many weapons of different types. He spotted a rack of knives of all shapes and sizes- including large swords, many types of guns, a crossbow, and even a tranquilizer gun. He wasn’t sure what to think- but he really should have expected this. He was an assassin. Though he wondered why Monokuma wanted him to have such an advantage? It could be because he needed someone to start the game. If no one did, then what Monokuma wanted to do would be pointless, right?

Thankfully for everyone inhabiting the school with him, he had no intention of killing anyone. Killing _was_ his job, but he didn’t do it if he didn’t have to. Just because supposedly winning this killing game could grant him the ability to leave, didn’t mean that it was the only way around things. He was sure that he could find another way to solve things. 

He didn’t like killing anyways. The internal guilt he carries haunts him wherever he goes, and he isn’t sure how he isn’t breaking down under the pressure _all the time_. Makoto would prefer not to dwell on it though, it always brought unwanted pain and unwanted tears. He really has no idea how he has even lasted this long as an assassin. He broke a long time ago, yet nothing has got to him as much as it has others. He’s seen it happen, aspiring assassins losing who they are, losing their will to live. Their new purpose being a machine that took lives on command. Maybe that’s why Makoto earned the title of Ultimate Assassin. He never really lost his humanity. He still had a kind and pure soul- one only tainted by the world that he was forced to enter. His overwhelming perseverance to keep his humanity overshadowed every other assassin known to the world. He was good at his job too- he supposed that helped. 

His train of thought ceased in favor of reminding him to go to the dining hall. His new classmates had all agreed to meet there and discuss their findings. Makoto hopped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He really was glad that these weapons were hidden behind a painting. If they were stored all throughout his room, he wasn’t sure what he would do. If anyone ever wished to visit his room, he would be screwed. He supposed he had Monokuma to thank for that. He lingered in front of the door for a moment, wondering what to do about the lock. What was the point of a lock if there was no key? He would feel safer if it was locked though. That meant that even if someone had discovered the room, they couldn’t go inside.

As Makoto turned to put back the painting Monokuma suddenly appeared in front of him. The bear laughed. “Looking for this?” Monokuma held a key in his paw. Makoto frowned. “Is that the key to the room?” He gestured behind him. “Yepper! I hope you enjoy my little gift! Oh, I almost forgot, before you freak out when you try to open your bathroom door, I have something to tell you! Your door isn’t locked. It just doesn’t fit in the frame properly. Make sure to push it downwards first, and then it'll open!” With that, Monokuma threw Makoto the key and disappeared. Makoto locked the door and put the painting back. He left his room and headed off to the dining hall. 

Once he got there it seemed like no one had arrived yet. He sat down at the large table in the center of the room and waited. It took a while, but his classmates slowly started to flood in. Soon everyone had arrived besides Togami. Makoto knew that he wanted to work alone, but things really didn’t look good for him. His earlier speech left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, and his relationship with everyone would become more strained over time. The only advice he could hope to give to Togami would be to watch his back. Nothing good will come of him burning bridges like that. If everyone comes to hate him, Makoto is sure that it won’t benefit him. 

Soon after, the meeting started. It was brief, and everyone reported what they had found- which was almost nothing. Ogami had tried to remove the covers on the windows to no avail, and no one had seen an exit. Then Celeste proposed the idea to implement a curfew of their own aside from Monokuma’s. She proposed that once nighttime started, that no one was to leave their rooms to ensure everyone’s peace of mind. He understood where Celeste was coming from, but he knew that one way or another, someone would end up sneaking out during the night. Everyone seemed to agree with her logic. After that, everyone headed back to their rooms. 

Makoto knew that it was probably against his better judgment, but he found himself getting ready to knock on Togami’s door. It was unlikely that he would even answer, but in the event that he did, Makoto wanted to tell him about what happened at the meeting. He slowly rapped on the door a few times and waited. When no one came to the door, Makoto tried the doorbell too. After a few more tries, the door finally swung open to reveal an annoyed Togami. 

“Why did you feel the need to repeatedly knock on my door until I answered?” Togami scowled. 

“Sorry for bothering you Togami. I just wanted to let you know that we all searched around the school and found no new leads. We also agreed to stay in our rooms during nighttime.”

Togami’s scowl deepened. “You seriously believe that everyone will obey that rule? You have faith that your _friends_ won’t break it to commit a murder?” 

Makoto frowned, losing a bit of his patience. As much as he wanted to befriend the boy, he sure had to make it difficult. “I’m not as naive as you seem to think I am, Togami. I’m well aware that in a few days someone is going to break that rule we put in place and someone could get hurt. The only point of the rule is to give us some peace of mind. Everyone needs it, even you.” Togami narrowed his eyes. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Togami managed to look even more annoyed as he glared at Makoto. 

Makoto sighed. “Don’t act like you don’t know, Togami-kun. You’re so quick to assure us that you have no problems with this- that you aren’t even a _little_ scared! I’m not so dumb as to not realize that no matter how much you deny it, this is scary to you too. If that bear was telling the truth, our lives could be at risk! Anyone would be scared! Don’t mock our way of finding comfort and some semblance of insurance in a bad situation like this. You’ll just prove my point.” 

Togami flinched slightly before resealing his iron mask. “If you think you know what you’re talking about, you’re wrong. I’m just being realistic. If any of you think that you can predict what someone else will do, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Don’t judge other people by your own standards.” Makoto furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. Even if he decided to push him away, Makoto wanted Togami to know that he’s there for him. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.” With that, Togami slammed the door in Makoto’s face. So much for trying to be nice. As much as he knew someone was likely to betray them, he really did want to become friends with the people here. If they happened to get close enough to one another, it could even stop a murder! Makoto walked back to his room and thought about his conversation with Togami.

* * *

The next day, Makoto left his room to join everyone in the dining hall. When he arrived there were only a few of his classmates there, and he chose an empty table in the corner of the room. Makoto didn’t feel like eating anything, so he sat in silence until the girl named Maizono walked over to him. Whenever he saw her she seemed to bring a feeling of familiarity. Makoto wasn’t sure why. He looked up at her expectantly. She wore a small sweet smile- suffice to say she looked a little too happy for someone in the situation that they’re in. Although Makoto could swear he noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes or the way her smile seemed to waver. 

“Hey, Naegi. Can I sit with you?” She tilted her head to the side. Makoto had no idea why she wished to sit with him of all people, but he thought that making a friend would be fun. “Sure.” She nodded and sat down in the chair across from him. They sat in silence for a while until Maizono spoke up.“So- there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about.” 

“What is it?” Makoto thought that having something to say made their encounter make more sense, but he didn’t know what a girl like her would have to say to him. “I was just wondering if you remember me?” When she was met with his confused expression she elaborated. “We went to the same middle school together. It’s fine if you don’t remember.” After a moment of thinking about it, he distantly recalled memories of watching her from afar while she talked to her friends. He was surprised that he didn’t notice sooner. Strange how that just slipped his mind. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, I’m sorry that we never really got to talk. You always seemed so lonely and I wanted to talk to you but my friends never gave me the opportunity.”

“Really? You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah! I always like making new friends and you seemed like such a nice person. I also felt bad that you never really had any friends. I bet that’s a given with how many days you seemed to miss though.” Makoto was slightly unnerved by the fact that she remembered how often he skipped school. It didn’t seem like she knew why, which was good, but it still unsettled him. 

“I guess so- but, despite how often I wasn’t in school no one seemed to want to be my friend anyway.”

Maizono smiled sadly. “Well I know that this isn’t the best situation but we can be friends if you want. I know that having a friend during a rough time can help, so know that I’m here for you.”

“Thanks, Maizono. I’d like that.” Makoto smiled back at her. He was truly grateful that he finally had someone to rely on. He rarely found anyone who even wanted to look at him these days, so having someone to rely on in this situation was nice. He was going to be cautious though. She hid it well, but he knew that she wasn’t taking this well. She could easily snap, and he should be ready when she does. 

They made small talk for a few hours, eventually leaving the dining hall to find things to defend themselves with. That search was mostly fruitless, but Makoto managed to find a fake gold leaf katana on display. It may not be that useful, but the Ultimate Assassin could turn anything into a dangerous weapon. He left Maizono to return it to his room before leaving to check on Togami. Makoto headed towards the entrance hall, hoping to catch him if he was in the other section of the school. As Makoto wandered towards the gym he spotted him. Makoto walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Togami glanced at him and scowled, obviously annoyed at his sudden appearance. He raised his eyebrow for Makoto to get on with it. 

“Hey, Togami-kun.”

“Don’t address me as if we’re friends.”

Makoto frowned. Did he _have_ to be so rude? “I just wanted to see how you were doing.” 

Togami sighed. “Well, that isn’t of your concern. You can leave now.”

“What if I don’t want to leave?”

Togmai huffed. “Do what you want.” He turned away from Makoto and stared at the gym doors. They stood in strangely comfortable silence until Togami spoke up. “Naegi. There has been something that has been bothering me for a while.” Makoto nodded for him to continue. “I need you to explain to me what exactly your ‘Ultimate Lucky Student’ title means.” Makoto paused for a second. That wasn’t a question he expected him to ask. He thought for a moment, trying to answer to the best of his ability. He didn’t know much about the Ultimate Lucky Students, but he tried his best to explain what he knew. “Well, I don’t totally get it myself, but what I do know is that I was picked at random from a pool of normal students.” Makoto hoped that Togami believed him. Togami nodded. “So you just got into Hope’s Peak based on blind luck. I see. Well, that answers my question.”

Makoto furrowed his eyebrows. He wondered why Togami needed to ask that. It sure caused Makoto more trouble than it was worth. “What was the question?” 

“How a commoner like you, with absolutely no unique talents or abilities, could get into this school. -Oh. I forgot boring. How a boring, untalented, utterly generic commoner like you got in.”

Makoto couldn’t help but feel offended. Togami insulted him about something that wasn’t even true. Sure he came from an average family, and he himself _was_ average, but he happened to make a lot of money from his job. Although, Togami couldn’t have known that. “Did you _hav_ e to point all of that out?”

“-But it’s the truth.”

“Maybe compared to you, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny- but even I-”

“You seem to think that it’s an issue of title, but make no mistake. My lineage, intelligence, figure, and athletic ability- they are all ultimate. Which is to say I am the Ultimate Perfection. Feel free to start calling me that, in fact. You who have nothing, and I who have everything, we are living proof that not all men are created equal. You have my pity, Naegi. Life can be cruel indeed.”

Makoto frowned at Togami. He just had to rub salt in the wound. 

Once Togami finished his mean-spirited lecture, he walked off. Makoto will try again tomorrow. At least it seemed like he made a _bit_ of progress.

* * *

Makoto blinked away his tiredness as the morning announcement played the next day. He got out of bed and took a quick shower before going to the dining hall to eat. When he entered he went straight to the kitchen to make himself a meal. After he prepared it, he walked over to the table Maizono was sitting at and ate with her. She talked about her life as an idol, but Makoto, on the other hand, had nothing to talk about. His job wasn’t one he would want to tell anyone about. 

While Maizono was in the middle of talking about her friends in the idol industry, Monokuma suddenly appeared in the dining hall and started to talk. 

“Y’know, I was wondering to myself why no one had started killing yet. Then I realized what I was missing! You all need motivation!” A few people questioned what Monokuma meant by that, but the bear just continued to speak. “I prepared you all a nice motive video to get you going!” Monokuma dropped a large box full of CDs on the floor. “Here you go! Later!” Monokuma disappeared, leaving them with the ‘motive videos.’ Makoto was the first to stand up and take a look at the box. He sorted through it, finding that each of the CD’s was labeled with someone's name. He took his and pocketed it. “It seems like there is a video to watch for all of us,” he concluded aloud, and that made a few people pipe up with their opinions. 

“I don’t know how good of an idea it is to watch those videos. Who knows what kinda shit that psycho bear coulda’ put in it!” Said Kuwata.

Asahina piped up next. “Aren’t you at least a little bit curious what’s on it? It might have some vital clues!”

Mondo looked at the box with confusion. “Where the hell would we even watch 'em?”

He posed a good question. Where _would_ they go to watch them? Makoto thought back to all of the rooms he remembered being available to them. He vaguely recalled walking past an AV room when exploring the school. “I think there’s an AV room somewhere. We should head there, I’m sure there would be something to watch these on.” Makoto picked up the box and set it on the table. “You guys should head there. I’m going to go get Togami- and don’t start until everyone is there. I think we should all be there for each other just in case these videos contain things that we don’t want to see.” A few people nodded their heads in agreement, and Makoto fished out Togami’s CD. He left the dining hall and headed over to Togami’s room.

He knocked a few times before the door opened. At least it was faster this time. “Togami-kun? I need you to come with me. Monokuma gave everyone these videos and we were going to watch them together.” Togami clicked his tongue and nodded for Makoto to get out of the way. They walked down the hall together, but Makoto had trouble keeping up with Togami’s pace. Makoto handed Togami his video, and he inquired where they were going to watch them. Makoto told him that they would be going to the AV room. 

Once they arrived everyone sat at one of the stations in the room. Togami walked to an empty seat and sat down, and Naegi followed suit. Since everyone had finally arrived, they started to play their videos. Makoto slid his into the machine, and it started to play. He saw his family sitting in their living room, wishing him luck at Hope’s Peak, and expressing how much they miss him. Then, the screen quickly flickered to a scene less pleasant. It was his living room but in ruins. The furniture was torn and scorched, and his family was nowhere to be found. Monokuma’s voice rang through the headphones and told him that if he ‘graduated’ he could find out what happened to his family. Makoto quickly shut off the video. The contents got under his skin and made him long to graduate, though he wouldn’t give in. He hoped that his family was okay. 

A scream rang out in the quiet room, and he turned towards the area where it came from. Maizono. She stood up and ran out of the room. Makoto prepared to run. “I’m going to go after her!” 

Makoto dashed into the hallways and headed towards the dorms. He checked each room on his way there and finally found her sitting at one of the desks inside a classroom. She had her hands on her knees and she stared absently at the floor. There was no emotion on her face at all. Makoto was very worried about his friend. “Maizono, are you okay?” Makoto stood in front of her, leaning down to look her in the eyes. “I-I’m fine- no, actually, how could I possibly be fine? What did we do to end up like this? Why are they doing such terrible things to us…? I want out! Let me out of here right now!” 

Maizono thrashed around and Makoto grabbed her by the shoulders. “I understand. I know how you feel right now. When I think of what could’ve happened to my family…” Makoto shook his head. It was better not to dwell on that right now. “-But now more than ever, we have to stay calm! This is exactly what they want. They _want_ us to lose our composure and stop thinking rationally. Let's just calm down.”

Maizono looked up at him. “W-what if there isn’t a way out…? What if we can never leave this awful place?” Makoto steeled himself. He needed to reassure her the best he could. “-Then I’ll get you out of here myself! No matter what it takes!” Abruptly Maizono pulled him into a hug. She buried her face in his chest as she started to sob. “Please- help me! Why is this happening to me!? To kill or be killed? I just can’t take this anymore!” Makoto wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, letting her get all of her emotions out. After a while, her sobs quieted and she lifted her head from his chest. “Naegi… can I believe what you said...? That you’ll get me out no matter what it takes?”

“Absolutely- you can count on me.” Makoto smiled reassuringly at her. 

“You’re the only one I can trust, Naegi… no matter what happens, please always be there for me…”

“Of course. No matter what, I’ll always support you.”

“Thank you. Hearing you say that makes me feel like I can keep going. I can get through this… as long as you're with me.” Maizono smiled softly at him, expressing her gratitude. “Maizono, do you wanna head back now?” She nodded and they both walked back to the dorms together. 

They stopped in front of Maizono’s room. “Maizono, you should get some rest, you still look pretty shaken.” She nodded and expressed her thanks again before heading into her dorm room. Makoto went back to the AV room to tell everyone that Maizono was alright. He talked to a few of his classmates to see how they were fairing before he headed back to his own dorm. 

* * *

Around nighttime that evening Makoto heard a knock at his door. He wondered who would come there so late, but decided to open up anyway. Whoever it was probably had something important to say. When he opened the door, a shaken Maizono stared back at him. He gestured for her to come inside and shut the door behind them. “I’m really sorry for coming by so late…” Makoto stared at her with a worried expression. “Maizono, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Maizono was trembling. “Sorry to bother you but… something really strange just happened.”

“Something… strange?”

“Just a little while ago, I was lying down in my room. All of a sudden, my door started rattling and shaking…” 

Her voice was tense as she spoke- she sounded unnerved. “-It was like someone was trying to force the door open. My door was locked, so they couldn’t get in, of course… but they started shaking the door harder and harder. I was so scared I couldn’t even move!”

“So- what happened”

“After a while, it just- stopped. I waited a bit before I opened the door to check if anyone was outside, but there was nobody there…”

“Someone tried to force their way into your room? -But, who would do something like that?”

Maizono shivered. “It's not like I’m suspicious of anyone here, but still… it makes me nervous.” Makoto wasn’t sure what he could do for her. He supposed that he could ask her if she wanted to stay with him for the night if that would make her feel safer. “Then, would you like to stay here tonight? Would that make you feel safer?”

“What? -But, two people sharing a room is...”

Makoto blushed. “Ah! Oh, jeez, sorry. I didn’t even think about that! Honestly, it never even crossed my mind.” Maizono smiled apologetically. “I know. Me neither. It’s not even that I mind the idea, but- if you don’t mind, could we switch rooms for the night?” Makoto thought about it for a moment. He totally understood why she didn’t like his idea, but switching rooms would technically put _him_ in danger. Although he could probably handle it, unlike Maizono. If it would make her feel better, then he wouldn’t mind. “If it will help you feel safer, then I don’t mind.” He smiled at her. “I don’t care if you stay in my room, but are you sure that you’re okay with me staying in yours? That doesn’t- like, concern you?”

“It's fine, I trust you Naegi.”

Makoto nodded. The nighttime announcement finally played and they switched keys. He quickly told her about his broken bathroom door before turning to leave. “If someone comes to the door, don’t open it- no matter what,” Maizono promised him that she wouldn’t, and Makoto left his room. He stepped out into the hall, making sure that no one saw him, and he entered Maizono’s for the night. He prayed to any god that would listen that she didn’t find his stash of weapons. 

* * *

Makoto woke up to unfamiliar surroundings. He looked around for a moment before he remembered what had transpired last night. Maizono… He wondered if she was alright. He was sure that she was, if anything, the person who wouldn’t be alright would be him. He didn’t notice anything strange last night though. It seemed that the mystery person gave up. Makoto got up and headed to the dining hall, hoping to catch Maizono there. The morning announcement went off about ten minutes ago according to the clock, so he hoped that she wasn’t done eating yet. 

When he arrived his eyes scanned the room for Maizono. He sifted through each and every face multiple times but still couldn’t find her. Makoto began to worry. He walked over to Asahina and asked her if she had seen Maizono, but she said that she hadn’t since yesterday. Makoto went pale. “Naegi, what’s wrong?” 

“I have to go check on Maizono!” Makoto made a mad dash for his room, and he lunged for the handle, ripping open the door. That shouldn’t have been possible. Maizono had his key. As he ran into his room, he saw it in disarray. There were many scratch marks littering the floor, and his bed was not faring any better. The bathroom door was ajar, and there was no sign of Maizono.

Makoto slowly walked towards his bathroom and he prepared himself. He couldn’t help but assume the worst. 

He pushed back the door to reveal Maizono’s dead body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! I promise that things are going to get more interesting from here. Soon you will even get some of Byakuya's POV! Although, I'm not completely sure what I'm going to do for the next chapter. I wanted you guys to decide! I want to know if you want me to write a chapter for the first trial or not. I said last time that I wouldn't be focusing on that trial, but I thought that if you wanted a chapter for it, I would write one. The benefits would be that you would get to see Makoto's thoughts on the things happening before and during the trial and how they differ from in-game Makoto's thoughts. This story is mostly a glorified character study for Assassin Makoto, after all.
> 
> (For all the people who did Byakuya's FTE's, did you like the one I snuck in there?) 
> 
> So, what would you like to see? The investigation and trial for Sayaka's murder, or skipping ahead to after the trial? Leave your thoughts in the comments! Your input is greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to leave any constructive criticism or feedback in the comments too! You're kind words really help to motivate me, and I'm sure this chapter wouldn't even be done if it wasn't for all of you! Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to you in a few weeks when I update again!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naegi and his classmates investigate Maizono's murder and uncover the truth behind the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter- and this one only took a little longer than two weeks to finally pump out! Honestly, nearly this entire chapter was written yesterday. I was hit with so much inspiration- it was literally insane. I'm so glad to finally have this finished though! It took me around 6 hours just to take sufficient notes to work off of. Yes, I took notes, I don't trust my memory enough to get all of the key points in the case correctly. Then, it took me around 8 hours to get this entire chapter written and edited. This was really time-consuming, but I think it was worth it! I'm proud of how this one turned out! Just a warning though, I went very in-depth with the investigation and trial, so it's a long one. I cut out as much as I could afford to, but that turned out to be a very small amount of content. This clocked in at exactly 10,007 words. I'm very sorry! I'd also like to mention that the entire trial section is basically non-stop dialogue, so it may be awkward to read. I tried to fix that to the best of my ability, but I'm not sure how well it worked. It was unavoidable. We've all seen the Danganronpa trials- so think about the horrendous format they would be in if Danganronpa was a novel! Anywho, let's get right into this absolute monster chapter!

It was a terrible sight forever etched into his memory. His kind-hearted friend lying dead right in front of him, a kitchen knife sticking out of her abdomen. Blood. There was so much blood. It looked like it had been sitting there for at least the past few hours. His closest friend in this awful place, Maizono, was dead- and he would make sure that whoever did this to her would pay. But first, he needed to alert his classmates. His eyebrows snapped down and a serious expression spread over his face in place of his usually welcoming one. His eyes were dark and glistening with unshed tears for his dead friend.

Makoto slowly moved away from her body, working his way over to the door, and entering the hallway. Each step was painstakingly slow, and his heart hung heavy in his chest. What did she do to deserve that? Why would anyone murder a girl who had only shown them kindness? He approached the dining hall and psyched himself up to break the awful news to his classmates.

As he entered the room all the faces turned to him. He was met with the many concerned expressions of his classmates in response to his grim expression. He decided that sugar-coating the situation would help anything, and he was blunt. “Maizono is… dead.” His lip quivered as the people in the dining hall started to panic. Asahina walked over to Makoto and put a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were glassy and filled with tears as she gave him an expression filled with pity. Asahina nodded reassuringly to him before she ushered everyone out of the room.

As they ran up to Naegi’s dorm room he noticed that his room had Maizono’s nameplate on it- not his. _Strange_. Though, there was no time for that. He could wonder about why their nameplates were switched later. Naegi opened the door to his room and everyone flooded in. They took in the destroyed surroundings with shocked expressions and Naegi pointed them towards the bathroom. As soon as the first couple of people looked at the body, the monitor in the room flicked on and Monokuma appeared. “A body has been discovered! Please report to the gym immediately!” 

A few protests rang out and one of his classmates who had seen the body clamped a hand over their mouth. Kirigiri’s voice cut through the noise. “I think that it’s best if we obliged for now. There is also the possibility that we could gather some valuable information.” She quickly glanced around the room before walking off. The remaining students still looked wary, so Makoto tried his best to drive Kirigiri’s point home. He cleared his throat. “I think she’s right. We’d better listen to Monokuma. If there is a chance that we can get some information, no matter how small, then we should take it.” For some reason that seemed to convince them. 

Everyone in his room made their way towards the gym, giving Makoto pitying looks as they passed him. Makoto stared at the ground for a moment before Asahina, who was still by his side, ushered him towards the door. He muttered his thanks and they went off with the rest of the group. 

Once they arrived in the gym, the few who hadn’t been in the dining hall asked about what had happened. The emotionally stronger people of the group broke the news to them. Makoto noticed how Togami simply looked away when the incident was brought to his attention. His face was blank as ever, but Makoto swore he saw an unknown emotion cross his features for a split second. Before they had much time to process Maizono's death, Monokuma popped up. A few of his classmates lashed out at Monokuma, accusing the bear of being the culprit. The bear laughed. “I would _never_ do anything like that! If you're going to believe anything, then _that’s_ what you should believe! Unless a rule has been violated, I will not get personally involved.” At this, Chihiro sniffled and her voice rang out through the crowd. “Then… who would…”

“You already know the answer! It was one of you guys who killed Maizono Sayaka!”

Everyone fell into silence. 

“You all look like you’ve seen a ghost! Didn’t we go over this already- this happened so that one of you could graduate!” 

Yamada shuddered. “You have to be lying… Who killed her?!” 

Togami clicked his tongue and stared down everyone in the room. “Silence. While it’s still here, I have something I’d like to verify with the teddy bear over there. Assuming that one of us is the murderer, that person gets to graduate, yes?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play stupid- you said so yourself! One can graduate by committing murder.”

Monokuma cackled obnoxiously. “You’re naive! Way too naive! Do you think it’s that easy? Just gotta’ kill someone? That's hugely naive! Devilishly naive! Hellishly naive! Quite the contrary. The _real_ fun starts here! So lemme’ tell you about the rules concerning graduation! As I’ve explained already, you can’t graduate unless you kill someone- but in doing so, there was another promise you had to keep too, wasn’t there?”

Celeste cut off Monokuma and pulled out her e-handbook. “The sixth rule… ‘ _The blackened who kills one of his companions will be allowed to graduate provided his guilt is not revealed to the other students_.’ I believe that is what you are referring to, yes?”

“Bingo! Just killing isn’t good enough. You gotta’ do the deed _and_ get away with it! So, a few hours after a corpse is discovered, we’ll hold a class trial! The question is who committed the murder- the answer to that question will be decided by a vote conducted at the end of the trial. If the answer you come up with is correct, the blackened will be punished, and everyone else will continue participating in the killing school life. On the other hand, if you, the jury, select the wrong person as the blackened, the blackened will graduate, and the rest of the students will be punished. That’s all there is to the class trial!” 

“Um, what do you mean by… punished?” Said Yamada.

“To put it simply… I’m talkin’ execution! Bzzt-bzzt in the electric chair! Billow-billow with the poison gas! Ripped to pieces by a hurricane!”

Enoshima stomped towards the bear. “What’s all this crap about class trials?! There’s no way I’m participating!”

“Why is that?”

Enoshima fumed. “Like you even need to ask! Why should I have to play this find-the-culprit game with you?!”

“What’s this?! Someone won’t participate in the class trial?! Then they must be penalized! I’ll probably lock you up in a dark and scary prison or something...”

“Quit your babbling! Even if you threaten me, I’m still not participating! Leave me out of this!”

After Monokuma spouted more nonsense, the bear started to charge forward towards Enoshima. Once Monokuma was right in front of her, she raised her leg and caught the bear under her boot. “There, you happy now?”

“Right back at you!” The bear cackled.

“Huh?”

“Violence against the headmaster is prohibited. This is a violation! Heed my call, O’ spear of legend, Gungnir! Come to thine master’s aid!”

Suddenly, many spears shot out of nowhere, impaling Enoshima. Blood spattered all over the floor and she croaked out her last words. Her body fell to the ground, limp. Everyone gasped, shocked to see one of their friends die right in front of them. Naegi turned his head away from the sight. Even in his many years of working as an assassin, he couldn’t deny how uncomfortable it made him to witness something like that. At least his assassin jobs weren’t very personal. Suffice to say he never usually had full conversations with his targets...

Of course, Monokuma couldn’t let them have a moment of silence to process yet another death. “Aww, I did want to avoid causing any unnecessary deaths if possible… but I guess a sacrificial lamb really _is_ necessary! Man, I love that trope! Well, hey. You guys get it now, don’t you? I mean business. If you resist I’ll make swiss cheese out of you, blow you up, bury you alive, melt you, et cetera. If you don’t wanna’ end up like that, you better follow the rules!”

“Well anyway, enough about that. I have something to give you guys before you go searching for clues.” The bear held up many black files. “This is a file with some data I gathered on the corpse. I call it… The Monokuma File!”

Kirigiri walked over to Monokuma. “For this trial system to work, that would mean that you know who the culprit is? The one who killed Maizono…”

“You betcha! I watched it go down- all on my high definition security cameras! If I didn’t, then I couldn’t make an impartial decision during the trial, could I?” The bear dropped all of the files on the floor and its grin seemed to widen. “Alrighty then! Good luck on your investigation! You’ll need it...” With that, Monokuma disappeared. 

Everyone in the room was shocked into silence for a while. No one could believe that two of their classmates were dead- and that one of them was murdered someone in the room. Everyone stared at each other with mistrust in their eyes. Could things get any worse?

Kirigiri broke the silence with her cool, composed voice. “Is this really the time to be depressed? Besides, with everyone so easily jumping to conclusions and not trusting anyone- much like blind faith- the outcome can only be disaster. We need to work together.”

Celeste spun her hair around her finger. “Indeed. Fretting over the dead is a waste of time.”

“That’s awful!” Shouted Asahina.

“I’ve warned you many times, those who cannot adapt will simply die. You reap what you sow.”

Kirigiri cut off whatever Asahina was about to say. “We need to focus on figuring out who the culprit is.” A few people muttered their agreements, and Makoto was spurred on by everyone's determination. They needed to find out who took their friend’s life away. _He_ needed to find who did that to Maizono. 

As always, Kirigiri led their next discussion. “Before we investigate, what should we do about preserving the crime scene?” A few people gave her confused looks, and Togami huffed. “You mean you’re thinking of putting someone on guard duty to ensure no one tampers with it?” Owada volunteered, saying how he wasn’t very good at figuring things out anyways. Surprisingly, that didn’t seem to please Togami. “No, we can’t just let him watch by himself. There is a chance that he could be the culprit.”

“Then I shall be on guard as well,” Said Ogami. “That eliminates the issue.”

Suddenly Celeste laughed daintily. “I just noticed something…” Everyone’s attention was now on her. “I was looking over the Monokuma File and I noticed something _very_ peculiar. Please, have a look for yourselves. The place where Maizono Sayaka died…” Makoto felt his heart stop. The place where she died… it was his room! Now that someone knows that, they’ll suspect him for sure. He should’ve known that this was going to happen… 

Celeste continued. “It’s Naegi Makoto’s bedroom.”

“Ah, she’s right!”

“Then- could it be?!” 

Everyone’s eyes darted to look at Makoto. 

“Hold on! I didn’t do it! Maizono and I traded rooms for the night, that’s all. We did it because she was terrified...”

The look in his classmate's eyes changed drastically. It was a look he knew all too well. It was accusatory, full of doubt, hatred, and fear. He had hoped that look would never be aimed in his direction again, but he wasn’t very lucky, was he? 

Thankfully Kirigiri swooped in and he didn’t have to deal with their gazes boring into him any longer. “Are you done talking? Then let’s begin our investigation. From here, we’ll split up. Good luck.” And with that, Kirigiri walked off to conduct her own investigation. Soon after, everyone else left, their gazes lingering on Makoto until they finally walked out the door. 

> **< <INVESTIGATION, START!>>**   
> ****

Makoto started his investigation by opening the Monokuma File in hopes that he would find more useful information on Maizono’s body. 

> _Victim: Maizono Sayaka_
> 
> _Time of Death: Approximately 1:30 A.M_
> 
> _The corpse was discovered in Naegi’s dorm room. The victim died in the shower._
> 
> _Cause of Death: A stab wound to the abdomen. Additionally, signs of blunt-force trauma are visible on the right wrist, which is broken._
> 
> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA FILE 1**

Naegi looked over the file once more, taking in all of the information. The last part was quite useful. A broken wrist… Interesting. 

Makoto figured that the first place that he should be investigating would be the crime scene. He could get the most obvious information there. 

Makoto walked out of the gym filled with determination. He arrived at his room and walked inside, immediately noticing that Kirigiri, Owada, and Ogami were already there. He looked around the room and took notice of the multitude of scratch marks littering the walls and floor. It seems that whatever happened in here, Maizono didn’t go down without a fight. 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE**

He walked farther into the room and almost tripped on the many items lying there. One of which was his room key. That’s right, the door wasn’t locked when he first came to check on Maizono. -But, why would she leave the door unlocked? She was so terrified yesterday… She even promised Makoto that she wouldn’t open the door for anyone. Even him. If she wouldn’t, though, then how did the killer get in?

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: SWITCHING ROOMS**

He turned his attention to the gold leaf katana he had found with Maizono the other day. The blade was drawn and it looked quite worn now, with lots of the gold leaf flaking off in several spots- specifically the hilt. He knew that the leaf flaked off rather easily. Maybe the killer had used it when they attacked Maizono? Though, the more important question was, where was the scabbard?

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: REPLICA SWORD**

He peered at the ground once again and spotted it. It was only a few feet away from the blade, and it looked like it had taken damage too. There were many marks across the scabbard, like it had been slashed with a blade. Perhaps they were caused by the knife used as the murder weapon?

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: REPLICA SWORD SHEATH**

Makoto stepped back a bit and picked up the lint roller at the side of his bed. He found it odd that it seemed to be running low on tape. He hadn’t used it at all, but maybe Maizono had? He set it back down, it probably wasn’t something to worry about. He checked each of his drawers for any clues but only found his unopened tool kit. Makoto asked Owada if anyone had used theirs yet and he said no. Apparently they had talked about it a day or two ago. 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: TOOLKIT** ****

Once Makoto had investigated everything he felt was suspicious he moved towards the bathroom to finally examine Maizono’s body. When he was about to open the door, Kirigiri abruptly walked over to him. “Naegi. Would you happen to be a germaphobe?”

Makoto thought that was a weird question. Why would she even need to ask that? “No, I’m not. Why?”

“Well, there is no trace of hair anywhere in this room. Not yours, Maizono’s, or the killers.” Makoto nodded. That must be because the culprit used the lint roller to clean the room...

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: MAKOTO’S ROOM’S CLEANLINESS**

Once Kirigiri walked away, Makoto went to investigate the body. He did an autopsy to the best of his ability and confirmed that the Monokuma File was correct. She had a broken wrist and a stab wound. Though, on her broken wrist, he found something really strange. There were small flecks of the gold leaf from the katana on her wound. He supposed it could be because she was hit with it and it had broken her wrist. From there she most likely fled to the shower before being stabbed. 

On her other hand, there was blood covering the tip of her pointer finger, but not anywhere else. It was almost like she had tried to write something in her own blood… 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: MAIZONO’S WRIST**

Maybe that’s what she did. He noticed a strangely shaped bloodstain hidden behind her body. He gently moved her out of the way to get a good look at it. It was the numbers ‘11037.’ It must’ve been her dying message. For some reason, these numbers really reminded him of one of his classmates. There always was the possibility it was _him_ ... but he thought that he should go to Fujisaki first before he jumped to any conclusions. If anyone knew what a string of numbers meant, it would be the Ultimate Programmer. Although, if you flipped the numbers upside down, you could almost make out _that name_... 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: DYING MESSAGE**

Makoto figured that he was done investigating her body, and left the bathroom. He came face to face with Kirigiri again, who looked like she was ready to ask him another question. “Do you know why the door is broken?” His eyes lit up in realization. “Oh, you mean the gimmick? My door doesn’t fit properly in the frame, and there is a trick to open it.” She looked a little confused. “Hmm, Interesting… well, just look at the door again. You’ll see what I’m talking about.” 

Makoto grabbed the bathroom door and spun it towards him, finally taking notice of the broken knob. It was almost completely removed, with many screws loose. “I think that the killer tried breaking the knob to bypass the lock.” Said Kirigiri. 

“But the boy's dorm bathrooms don’t have locks…” Maybe the killer thought that his room had a locking bathroom? 

“You said that your door has a trick to opening it?” Makoto nodded. “Who else knows about it?”

“Only Maizono and myself.”

“Hmm.” 

Kirigiri nodded to herself and walked away. 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: BATHROOM DOOR FRAME**
> 
> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: BATHROOM DOORKNOB**

Makoto decided that he was finished with the investigation of his room and walked into the hall. As he began to leave he noticed the switched name plates once again. His nameplate was on Maizono’s door and vice versa. He wondered who would’ve switched them, and why?

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: DORM NAMEPLATES**

He wondered about where he should go next and ultimately decided that he would go to Maizono’s room to retrieve her motive video to watch it. If it was in the trash then the content must have spooked her, right? He quickly went in and grabbed it from her trash can, going to check out a few places on the way to the AV room. 

First, he went to the trash room, only to encounter Monokuma. The bear told him that the only person who could enter past the gate was the person on cleaning duty. He would have to find them later…

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: CLEANING DUTY**

Next, he went to the dining hall in search of lead on where the murder weapon came from. He breezed past all of the tables and walked straight into the kitchen. He looked around only to notice that there was an empty space on the knife rack. A knife was missing. He walked back into the dining hall and questioned Asahina about it. She said that the knife wasn’t missing before- she had been in the kitchen last night and they were all accounted for. She apparently left the kitchen only to return a while later. Then, the knife was gone. 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: KITCHEN KNIFE SET**
> 
> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: ASAHINA’S ACCOUNT**

Once he got as many answers out of Asahina as possible he finally headed over to the AV room. He sat down and popped in the video. It started in a similar way to his, although instead of Maizono’s parents he was greeted with the sight of Maizono standing on a stage with her bandmates. Soon though, it switched to a more disturbing scene. Maizono had disappeared and all of her bandmates had collapsed. The lights in the venue shut off, and the monitor behind them showed Monokuma. The bear then spoke again- saying the same thing about ‘finding out what happened when you graduate’ from his video. The monitor shut off and the video was finally over. Makoto couldn’t believe what he had seen. He remembered when she talked about how much her bandmates meant to her, so seeing that really must’ve affected her. 

_Or_ , it could’ve even given her the incentive to murder. 

Finished in the AV room, Makoto left to go to the gym. He needed to ask Chihiro about the odd string of numbers that he found. When he did, she said that she would think about it, and to come back later. He then left towards the other side of the school, trying to find out how he could get into the trash room. On the way, he ran into Ishimaru and was told to go and find Yamada. Apparently, he was the person on cleaning duty. 

When Makoto finally arrived back at the dorms, he spotted Togami and Yamada down the hall. Not wanting to bother with Togami, he went straight for the Ultimate Fanfic Writer. “Hey, Yamada? You’re the person on cleaning duty, right? Would you mind opening the trash room for me?”

“Hmm? Do you think that if I open it for you that I’ll just let you dispose of evidence?! No way! I’m coming with you!”

Makoto internally facepalmed. _Here we go again_. “I never said that you couldn’t come with me- and anyway, I’m only going in there to see if there are any more clues.”

“Sure… you say that- but I’ll definitely make sure you don’t get rid of anything!”

Yamada spun on his heel and bounced down the hall towards the trash room. Before Makoto had the chance to follow him though, Togami smirked. “Hmm. Since the trash room is only available to one person, that certainly makes evidence difficult to dispose of… I can’t say I mind. That just makes things more fun…” Makoto gave him a weird look before running after Yamada. 

When Makoto entered the trash room, he saw Yamada waiting for him at the other end, the gate already unlocked and lifted. He muttered something to himself about 'not letting Makoto destroy any evidence' again, and Makoto started his investigation. Right off the bat, he noticed a couple of items right in front of the incinerator. He wondered how they got there. Obviously Yamada wasn’t the culprit. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Makoto in the trash room. But, the incinerator was a good thirty feet from the gate. The other odd thing was that the incinerator was on. Clearly someone had tried destroying evidence already. When Yamada saw him looking at the incinerator, he started to explain how it works. He said that if you press the large green button, then the incinerator will start, and if you press the yellow one, the incinerator stops. If it was as simple as pressing a button then his theory is definitely plausible. The only question was, what was thrown at the button?

Makoto’s train of thought was broken when Yamada suddenly started babbling about the fact that the incinerator wasn’t on yesterday, and that he hadn’t returned to the trash room until now. 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: INCINERATOR**

Makoto walked right up to the incinerator and crouched down. He noticed many broken glass shards. They seemed to have belonged to some sort of crystal ball. Bingo. That’s what was thrown at the button, wasn’t it? Beside it, there was a bloody cuff burnt off of a dress shirt. Not much to go off of considering that many people wore white dress shirts here, but it certainly helped his case. He was almost one hundred percent sure who did it. 

> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: SHATTERED CRYSTAL BALL**
> 
> **< <ACQUIRED TRUTH BULLET: BURNT SHIRT PIECE **

There didn’t seem to be anything else important in there so Makoto left for the gym. He remembered seeing Hagakure in there, so he wanted to ask about the crystal ball he found. He also needed to check in with Fujisaki again. 

He pulled open the gym doors and swerved around Enoshima’s body to reach Hagakure and Fujisaki. “Hey, did you come up with an explanation for the numbers?” He asked Fujisaki. “No, I tried as many codes as I could think of and couldn’t find any explanation. I’m sorry that I wasn’t of use to you…” She bowed her head. Makoto frowned and turned to Hagakure. “Hagakure? I found a broken crystal ball somewhere. Would that happen to be yours?”

“A crystal ball? Yeah. It’s min- Wait, it's broken?! I paid so much for that thing…”

“How much...?”

“A year's worth of fortune-telling money!” 

Makoto sighed. Hagakure sure wasn’t very smart. “Well, do you know why I found it in the trash room next to the incinerator?”

“I’m not sure man… I mean, I guess I did forget it in the laundry room yesterday…”

Hagakure had forgotten it somewhere anyone could’ve grabbed it and used it? Makoto was very sure he knew who killed Maizono. He wanted to confront them before the trial.

Out of nowhere, the gym monitor flicked on and Monokuma’s grating voice sounded through the speakers. “Y’know, it was getting boring waiting around for you guys to finish up- and I’m tired of waiting! It’s trial time! Head over to the big red door near the gym! I’ll see you guys in the courtroom!” 

As soon as the announcement ended, Makoto rushed out of the gym and towards the door. He hung out in the shadows for a while, watching each and every one of his classmates walk through the door. He was waiting for someone. All but one of his classmates had already arrived. Once he saw the orange-haired boy finally approach the red door, Makoto jumped out and stood in front of him, a menacing glare pointed right at the boy. At his look alone, the boy shuddered in fear.

“Kuwata. All of the evidence that I found points to you being the culprit. I don’t expect you to confess right now- I already know you did it. -But, know that when the time comes to reveal your crime, I _will_ make you pay.” Then, all of the anger emanating off of him seemed to disappear in a flash. His scowl was replaced by his usual idle smile- though with an unmistakable poison still lingering in his gaze. 

“Let’s go catch the culprit, shall we?” 

Makoto stepped to the side and Kuwata made a break for the door, leaving him with the words, “You don’t know shit!” and slamming the door behind him. 

Makoto walked up to the door. He honestly didn’t care about the implications of him- the biggest suspect- being the last to arrive, so he just swung the doors open and faced his classmates head-on. 

Once he stepped inside the room, one of his classmates already took to reprimanding him. “Naegi, you’re late! We’ve all been waiting!” Ishimaru pointed an accusing finger in his direction. Fukawa huffed. “You w-were just scared… that your c-crime would be exposed…” Ishimaru spun around to face her. “We should not decide the culprit yet! We must wait until the class trial, where Naegi’s crimes will be revealed from beginning to end!”

Makoto thought that maybe it was stupid to try and save face by lying about his talent. It’s only the first trial and he’s being accused by everyone anyways…

Monokuma’s voice stopped the chatter. “You’re all here? In that case, please board the elevator in front of you. That will take you guys to the courtroom. I’ll be one step ahead of you, waiting for your arrival!”

Before he had the chance to walk towards the elevator, Kirigiri came up to him. She told him that he needed to unravel the mystery himself, or else he would never come to terms with what happened. He supposed that she was right.

Makoto stepped forwards, glancing at each of his classmates, and entered the elevator. The rest of his class followed him inside. As soon as the last person entered, the doors snapped shut and the elevator began its descent. The elevator shook and jostled on its way down, making a loud clunking sound that made Makoto wince. 

The ride was longer then Makoto would’ve expected. Once it stopped the doors opened again and everyone filed out into the new area. It was a very bright and colorful mock courtroom, with a circle of podiums presumably for each of them. For the two dead students, crossed out portraits of their faces were at their podiums. How awful…

Monokuma quickly told them to find the podium marked with their name so that they could get started with the trial. Makoto felt his anger towards the culprit rise once again. He would make sure that their crimes were exposed… 

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: IN SESSION!>>**

Once everyone walked over to their designated spots and got in place, Monokuma began to speak. “Now, it's time for a basic explanation of the class trial! The verdict of the trial will be decided by a vote at the end. If you guess the blackened correctly, they will receive punishment- but if you pick the wrong person, everyone besides the blackened will be punished and the blackened will be allowed to graduate!”

Suddenly, Ishimaru’s booming voice cut through the courtroom. “Alright! Everyone close your eyes, and the culprit- please raise your hand!” Owada huffed. “You really think they would do that…?”

“Before we start, I’d like to ask a question,” Kirigiri started. “What is with those pictures?”

“Oh, the portraits?” Monokuma cackled. “I’d feel bad if our friends didn’t get to join in on the fun, just because they're dead! Friendship breaks through the _bury-er_ of death!” The bear laughed again. “Get it? _Bury-er_?”

Celeste rolled her eyes and sighed. “I also have something that I would like to ask. Why is there an extra podium? There were only fifteen of us when we arrived, so why would there need to be an extra space?”

“It just means that this trial room can technically house sixteen people. Now that we're all finished asking questions, let’s get started with the trial!”

Togami was the first to speak. “Well, let us start with the obvious evidence. The murder took place in Naegi’s room.”

“In the bathroom…” Asahina scrunched her eyebrows together in thought. 

“It’s safe to assume that the culprit most likely took Maizono by surprise while she was in the bathroom… She didn’t even have a chance to resist...”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE**

When Fujisaki said that, it didn’t sound right to Makoto. They definitely didn’t take her by surprise- there was evidence that she had a chance to resist… “No, that’s wrong… The culprit didn’t catch her by surprise because there were many scratch marks on the walls and floor. There was definitely a struggle.” 

Togami sighed. “That much was obvious. If you had looked at the crime scene it wouldn’t even need explaining.”

“Well then, how about we discuss the murder weapon?” Said Ishimaru. “There was obviously a very sharp object sticking out of her abdomen!”

“They probably stabbed her with some random knife they had on them,” Owada grumbled.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: KITCHEN KNIFE SET**

“No, that can’t be it.” Makoto put a hand on his chin in thought. “Earlier I went into the kitchen, and one of the knives was missing. I think that’s the murder weapon.”

“But where the hell does that get us?! Obviously Naegi is the killer!” Makoto glared at Kuwata. They both knew all too well that Makoto wasn’t the culprit…

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We need to wait until all arguments are presented before we decide on the culprit.” Kirigiri’s icy glare landed on Kuwata and he squirmed. 

“W-well, even so, Naegi still could’ve t-taken the knife from the kitchen wh-when no one was in the dining hall!” Fukawa stuttered.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Y-you don’t have any p-proof…”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: ASAHINA’S ACCOUNT**

“What if I said that I had a witness? Asahina. Care to tell everyone what you told me earlier?”

Asahina looked at him quizzically for a moment before her eyes lit up in understanding. She nodded. “Yesterday night I was in the kitchen making tea. At that time, all of the knives were accounted for. I left the kitchen to drink my tea, but when I came back to wash my cup, one of the knives was missing.”

“Did you see me enter the dining hall Asahina?”

“No, I don’t think so…”  
  


“You don’t _think_ so?” Togami glared at her. 

“N-no. I’m sure that he never came into the dining hall.”

“W-well what if Naegi and that idiot swimmer girl are lying to protect each other?” Fukawa stuttered.

“Idiot swimmer girl?!”

“Actually, there is something I’d like to clarify with the bear first.” Togami turned towards Monokuma. “If someone had an accomplice, would they also be blackened?”

“Nope! Only the person who does the murdering is considered the blackened!”

“So even if two people were to team up with each other, it would end up being unfair for one of them…” Kirigiri pursed her lips in thought.

“But w-what if they didn’t know about that rule until now…”

“Stop it! You’re all getting way off track! There are no accomplices in this case!” Monkuma paused. “Oh… did I say that out loud…?”

“If there are no accomplices, then Asahina is the only one who could’ve taken the knife!” Yamada pointed an accusing finger at her. “Unless you have someone to testify for you…”

“I can.” Ogami’s deep voice rang through the courtroom. 

“That’s right! Ogami was with me the entire time I was in the dining hall!”

“But, you still could’ve taken the knife later…”

“No, I couldn’t have... because...”

Togami clicked his tongue. “Just spit it out already.” 

“I stayed with her the entire night,” Ogami explained. 

“I-I was just so scared, so I asked her to stay with me. That means that Ogami and I have an airtight alibi!”

Celeste leaned forward over her podium. “Then are there any other possibilities? Did you see anyone enter the dining hall?”

“Well, there was one person… but I’m afraid that- that they aren’t here anymore.”

Makoto was sure where she was going with this… 

“You mean- Maizono took the knife?!”

“I think so. When she entered the room she didn’t even look in our direction- she just headed straight for the kitchen. Once she returned, she said that she went for a glass of water but… I’m sure that she grabbed the knife.”

Togami looked away for a moment, then turned to Makoto. “Maizono took the knife, the killer took it from her, and she was stabbed with it. In that case, you might not have taken the knife, but you still could’ve killed her.” Makoto frowned. It seemed that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. 

“No, it wasn’t me!”

Yamada tutted. “So, you tried to derail the conversation?! It really was you!”

Kirigiri’s icy gaze landed on Makoto. “No, I don’t think it was him. If the room belonged to the killer then they did something very peculiar. Something that should’ve been at the scene was missing, right Naegi?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MAKOTO’S ROOM’S CLEANLINESS**

Something missing? Well, the only thing Makoto could think of was the lack of hair in his room. The culprit had clearly removed it to get rid of any trace of them being there…

“Oh- you mean how there was no trace of hair in my room? The culprit used the lint roller in my room to get rid of all of the hair. I wouldn’t need to do that because the only hair I would be getting rid of would be my own and Maizono’s. There would be no point to it.”

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “Yes, but what if you did it to remove any trace that Maizono was in the room?”

“I would’ve needed to dispose of the body too if that was the case. The culprit definitely removed all of the hair to get rid of any trace that _they_ were in my room.”

It made sense. _He_ was the only person here with that color hair. It would’ve been even more painfully obvious who did it then it already was!

“Ruling out Naegi as a suspect just because of the lack of hair in the room is silly!” Ishimaru screeched.

Kirigiri sighed. “That isn’t the only piece of evidence proving Naegi innocent. How about we look at how this case played out to understand?”

“First, Maizono was attacked in the main room, then she ran into the bathroom for safety.”

“Next, the killer ran into the bathroom and stabbed her, right?”

“Yes, but there is evidence that the killer struggled to get into the bathroom.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BATHROOM DOORKNOB**

Makoto remembered what Kirigiri had pointed out earlier. “Yeah… The doorknob was broken. It had been almost completely removed.”

Kirigiri nodded. “They needed to do that to try and bypass the lock. That means that Naegi couldn’t have done it.”

“Well if you gotta’ break something you gotta’ break something!” Kuwata said. 

“Think about how the incident happened again. She was attacked in the main room, fled to the bathroom and-”

Kuwata cut her off. “They ran after her, trying to bust down the door because Maizono locked it!”

Makoto’s eyebrows snapped down. How did that make any sense? His door couldn’t have been locked.

_Oh_.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BATHROOM DOOR FRAME**

“There could be a reason that the killer-” Makoto shot a glare towards Kuwata. “-Thought that it was locked. My door didn’t fit very well into the frame, so there was a trick to opening it. That could be why.”

Monokuma laughed. “You’re the Ultimate Lucky Student, aren’t you? To get such a cruddy door… You’re not lucky at all!” Makoto sent his glare over to Monokuma. He really didn’t need the bear to make such a joke right now… if any of the other students caught the hidden meaning in the bear’s words, what would he do?

Kirigiri ignored Monokuma’s statement. “If the killer wasn’t aware of why the door wasn’t opening, they would assume that it was locked, and then proceed with trying to break open the door. That’s why calling Makoto the killer is illogical- because he wouldn’t have done that to his own door.”

“But, why would the killer think that the door was locked? Only the bathrooms in the girl's dorms have locking doors. The murder took place in Naegi’s room.”

Makoto finally understood.

“Actually, it makes sense. They wouldn’t have known that we had switched…”

Togami huffed. “The culprit wasted their time doing something so pointless…”

Asahina reluctantly called out to the group. “Uh- even if we know how they got in the bathroom, we still have no idea how they got into Naegi’s room in the first place!”

Kuwata crossed his arms. “Maybe the killer picked up the key off the ground or something?” 

“No, that seems a little too easy…”

“What if someone picked the lock?” Fujisaki said.

Ishimaru shook his head. “No- Monokuma made it very clear that the locks are unpickable!”

Yamada chuckled self assuringly as if he had finally cracked the code. “What if Maizono let the culprit in _herself_?”

Makoto frowned. He really didn’t want to believe that she would go against her word- she seemed so frightened! Although, _it was a likely possibility_...

“No... she- she said that she wouldn’t. She was so terrified- she definitely wouldn’t open the door for anyone!”

Kirigiri sighed heavily. “What if her being scared was a lie?” She held up a piece of paper with pencil shaded all over the sheet. On the paper, he could make out the imprint of a letter addressed to an unknown person- presumably from Maizono.

> _There’s something I want to talk to you about, just the two of us. In five minutes come and meet me in my room… Check the nameplate to make sure you don’t get the wrong room, okay?_
> 
> _-Maizono_

“I found this sheet of paper on a notepad in Naegi’s room. I shaded the sheet with a pencil and found this message. Assuming that you didn’t write this, it is safe to say that Maizono invited the killer inside on her own.”

“But how can we know that anyone received the note? Besides, even if they did, I’m convinced that they had nothing to do with this incident. They were asked to go to Maizono’s room, were they not? The incident happened in Naegi’s room.” Celeste stared at Makoto, eyes wide and full of doubt. 

> **<** **< SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: DORM NAMEPLATES**

“Ah, I guess I forgot to mention an important detail. The nameplates on our doors were switched. My nameplate was on Maizono’s door and her nameplate was on my door.” Makoto thought for a moment. Who switched them though...? He frowned.

“I think that Maizono must've switched them. She was the only one who knew about us switching rooms, and in her letter, she specifically reminded the culprit to check the nameplate- like if the culprit went to her room on their previous knowledge of where it was located, they would go to the wrong dorm…”

“But, w-why would she do that?” Fujisaki squeaked.

“We need to know what exactly happened after the culprit entered the room to find out for sure,” Kirigiri stated. Makoto thought that he knew where this was going… it really _was_ the only explanation. He didn’t want to believe that though…

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MAIZONO’S WRIST**

“Well,” Makoto started, “I guess that we can start here. Once the culprit entered the room they presumably broke Maizono’s right wrist with the fake sword that was at the scene.”

Kuwata huffed. “How do you even know that?”

“Because if you look at the area where her wrist is swollen, you can see some of the gold leaf that had flaked off. Since it flakes off rather easily, if she was hit with the sword, the gold would end up wherever she was hit.”

“Then the culprit came in and got the jump on her with the sword!” Said Hagakure.

“No- that’s not it… If you picked up the scabbard you would notice many marks across it- almost like it was slashed with something sharp. If the culprit planned to attack her with the sword, they would’ve unsheathed it!”

Kirigiri smiled slightly. “That’s right- and if you were attacked with, say, a kitchen knife, you might grab _anything_ around you for self-defense. There would be no time to unsheathe the sword.”

“Then whoever had the knife attacked first!”

Makoto’s jaw dropped. So- that _was_ what happened. He really wished that he was wrong about it... 

“Correct. We also have proof as to who attacked first, don’t we?”

Makoto took Kirigiri’s cue. “Maizono couldn’t have had the sword because the palms of her hands were clean… her time of death was around 1:30 A.M, which would mean that the water was shut off. The culprit had the sword and… Maizono had the knife. She attacked first…”

Celeste turned towards Makoto. “Maizono was the one who suggested that you switch rooms, yes? Then she obviously did it to-”

“-Frame me? Yeah, I know…” Makoto frowned. Maizono had betrayed him. He should’ve known that something like this would happen again. It wasn’t the first time that someone had broken his trust to do something so underhanded.

“Hey- hey now!” Monkuma called. “Stop getting off track! Things are getting really boring… How about you hurry up and decide who the culprit is?”

“There isn't any more evidence!”

Makoto glared at Kuwata. “No- you’re wrong. There _is_ more evidence.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: DYING MESSAGE**

Kirigiri picked up where he left off. “Naegi is right. There is more evidence that points to the culprit. Maizono’s dying message. Before she died she wrote the numbers ‘11037’ in her own blood, right Naegi?”

“Yeah.”

“But, how do we know that Maizono was the one who wrote it?” Celeste looked at Makoto quizzically.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MAIZONO’S WRIST**

“Because her left index finger had blood covering the tip. It definitely looked like she wrote something using her finger.”

“That doesn’t even help!” Owada growled. “We still have no clue what those numbers mean! Wait- Fujisaki? Do you know?”

“No- I thought of as many possibilities as I could… I have no idea…”

Makoto thought for a moment. Why was it that he first started to suspect _him_ _?_

It was because of how the numbers reminded him of _that name_ …

It seemed like Kirigiri had a similar idea. “What if those numbers aren't even numbers?”

Fujisaki’s eyes lit up. “I thought that it read ‘1 1’ because the connecting line was so faint, but if you look a little closer, it looks like an N!”

“But N037 still makes no sense…” Ogami furrowed her brows. 

Kirigiri sighed. “Rotate the numbers one hundred eighty degrees.”

Makoto caught on immediately. He filled his voice with as much poison as possible when he spoke his next words. “She wrote the killer's name. Isn’t that right, Kuwata? She wrote _your_ name. _Leon_.”

“N-no way! It’s just a coincidence! That just happens to look like my name!” Makoto’s eyes narrowed and Kuwata stopped talking.

Kirigiri’s cool smile returned to her face. “It’s no coincidence at all. Her right wrist was broken, so she needed to write with her left hand. Because of her injuries, she was unable to write normally. If you were sitting the way she was, the letters would come out inverted like that too. You can try it yourself.”

“And besides, if you didn’t kill her as you claim, then why did you destroy the evidence?”

“What?!”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BURNT SHIRT PIECE**
> 
> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: INCINERATOR**

Makoto nodded to himself. He knew what she meant. “There was the cuff of a shirt that had burnt off near the incinerator. It was covered in blood. The shirt it came from was disposed of using the incinerator, yet only Yamada could’ve accessed it. But- that isn’t true, is it?”

“It has to be true!” Kuwata yelled. “Yamada was the only one who could go into the trash room, and you need to get close to the incinerator to use it, right?! The distance between the gate and the incinerator is almost thirty feet!”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: SHATTERED CRYSTAL BALL**
> 
> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: CLEANING DUTY**

Kirigiri and Makoto locked eyes and nodded at each other, sharing a similar train of thought. “Not necessarily. There was a shattered crystal ball lying on the ground next to the switch. It was obviously thrown at the button to turn the incinerator on. According to Yamada, the incinerator was off the last time he had checked it, which proves my theory. Someone who _wasn’t_ Yamada turned it on using that crystal ball.”

Kirigiri hummed. “Naegi is right. If the killer was in the trash room at any point then they would’ve been much more careful when destroying evidence.”

“B-but…” Fujisaki started. “That’s way too large of a distance for someone to throw a crystal ball and hit their mark. And through a gate too...”

“It would be difficult, sure. Impossible? Not at all. Because the culprit who committed the crime is none other than the Ultimate Baseball Star, Kuwata Leon. Throwing a crystal ball that distance wouldn’t be a challenge for _him_ , would it?”

“No- no you’re wrong! I didn’t do it! You’re all stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

“Naegi, how about we review the entire incident from start to finish to finally end this?” Said Kirigiri.

“End it?!”

Makoto felt a grim sort of excitement for what was to come… He would _finally_ make Kuwata pay for what he did to his friend- how she betrayed him didn’t matter. 

> **< <CLOSING ARGUMENT>>**

“Last night, the culprit went to where Maizono would be. In other words, my room. From what we can infer, Maizono planned to kill them.”

“She attacked them with the knife that she took from the kitchen earlier that evening.”

“In the scuffle, the culprit grabbed the fake sword that I had in my room, and fought back.”

“During the struggle, a strike from the sword broke Maizono’s right wrist.”

“That’s when she dropped the knife.”

“When she was cornered, she ran into the bathroom.”

“The culprit went after her, but they couldn’t open the door. They didn’t know that the door was stuck, or that there was a trick to opening it.”

“Instead, they forced their way inside, took the knife, and stabbed Maizono.”

“That was when- with all of her remaining strength- Maizono wrote her dying message. To keep the culprit from seeing it, she wrote it on the wall behind her.” 

“Then, the culprit left to destroy the evidence. First, they removed their shirt, which had been stained with blood. Second, they took the lint roller from my room and got rid of all of the hair- removing any trace that they were ever in the room. Lastly, they went to the trash room. The incinerator was blocked by the shutters, but they had a plan.”

“They took the crystal ball that originally belonged to Hagakure and threw it through the gate at the green button to start the incinerator. They balled up their shirt and threw it in the fire, presumably walking away with a sigh of relief. What they didn’t know, though, was that they had left behind indisputable evidence. A cuff of the shirt had burnt off and fell out of the incinerator.”

  
  


“Isn’t that right, Kuwata Leon!” Makoto snarled. 

“Do you have any objections?” Kirigiri asked. “Actually- it doesn’t even matter. We have even more evidence against you anyways. Naegi?”

Kuwata screamed and protested, claiming his innocence.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: TOOLKIT**

Makoto nodded at Kirigiri. He glared at Kuwata, mustering up the scariest look he could. “To have broken down the door, you would’ve needed to use _your_ toolkit. Mine was still intact when I checked. If you show us your toolkit now, your screwdriver will look like it has been used.”

Kuwata closed his mouth.

Togami spoke up next. “If you claim that you used it for something else, you must say when, where, and why.”

“And at this point, ‘I lost it’ _isn’t_ an excuse.” Kirigiri narrowed her eyes.

“So you have no rebuttal?” Said Celeste.

Monokuma laughed. “I guess that concludes the first class trial! You all have a lever in front of you- use it to vote! And make _triple_ sure that you vote for someone! You wouldn’t want to be punished for something so trivial…”

“Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? Let’s find out…”

Makoto placed his vote for Kuwata. Soon, a large slot machine popped out of nowhere and it began to spin. Finally, it landed on three pictures of Kuwata’s face, with the word ‘guilty’ displayed in gold flashing letters. 

Monokuma chuckled. “It looks like you’ve got it right! The one who murdered Maizono Sayaka was Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star!”

“N-no! You think I’m just going to accept my death?!” Kuwata screamed.

Everyone was in shock. To know that one of their classmates killed another seemed to unsettle them. Makoto wasn’t surprised. He had known that Kuwata was the culprit for a while. He was just angry. Angry that Kuwata killed his friend. Angry that Maizono had betrayed him. Angry that Monokuma had pushed them both to the brink- pushed them so far that they were ready to kill. He could never forgive someone that would turn innocent people into murderers. The grief and regret that comes with the ability to take another person’s life… he would never wish that on anyone- not even Kuwata, who he was currently furious at. No one deserves that, and yet this psycho bear forced two of his classmates to attempt to kill someone. He’ll make sure that they’re stopped. He doesn’t want anyone else to end up like him- having to die with the same guilt Makoto faced every day. 

But, he realized that he shouldn’t be directing any of his anger on his classmates- dead, or soon to be. He knew deep down that it wasn’t entirely their fault that they were driven to murder. Makoto felt the cloud of anger surrounding him dissipate. 

It was truly depressing, though. Kuwata kept on trying to justify his actions to himself and everyone else. Although, no one needed to say it to understand that his efforts were fruitless. He could’ve left Maizono in the bathroom. He could’ve gotten himself out of that situation- but he didn’t. He went back to his room to get his tool kit and used it to get to Maizono. He made the _choice_ to kill her. He didn’t have to, but he did. And it was all Monokuma’s fault.

Monokuma had started this. The bear started it all with the videos. He can’t even imagine how Maizono must’ve felt when she watched hers. That was what drove her to murder. Something that the _godforsaken_ bear planted in her mind. It also caused her to use him. He realized then that he should’ve known better. He’s an assassin! He should’ve been smarter! He should’ve caught her lie before she could carry out her plan! She wouldn’t be dead if he had… but, she also used him. She used him and made him an accessory to murder. Not that he hadn’t been one before. Thoughts of self-hatred plagued his mind. This was his fault as much as it was Monokuma’s. He _wouldn’t_ let it happen again. 

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: END>>**

Monkuma broke the silence. “Well, now that we’ve all processed the information- it’s time for the part that _everyone_ has been waiting for!”

“It’s time for thrills, chills, and kills!”

“I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star!”

“P-punishment?!” Kuwata yelled.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s punishment time!”

Kuwata screamed and begged for mercy as the bear grabbed a large mallet. Monkuma raised it up and brought it down onto a large red button. Then, A collar attached to a sturdy chain clamped around Kuwata’s neck, and he was dragged away. They all watched as he was strung up on a post at what looked to be a makeshift batting cage. Kuwata struggled against the restraints holding him until he spotted Monokuma standing at a large baseball shooter. Makoto could infer what would be coming next. What a brutal- yet fitting- way to go… the bear cackled before flipping the switch to the shooter. A few baseballs shot out and pummeled Kuwata. Before long, many were speeding towards him- and fast. Once the shooter ran out of baseballs, it backed off, smoking. All that was left were many baseballs and the bloodied pulp of a body. Everyone stared at the scene, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. They had lost three classmates in only one day…

A few people cried out, stating that they hated how they were in this awful situation. Monokuma growled. “Stop whining! If you don’t like what’s happening here, then all you gotta’ do is cut all ties with the outside world and live here forever! But that’s only if you can all agree on that… And anyway, you shouldn’t be getting angry at me! You’re barking up the wrong tree! This only happened because more than one of you wanted to get out!”

“Of course we wanted to l-leave!” Fukawa said. “Being t-trapped in this strange school… it’s awful!”

“Trapped, you say?” Monkuma chuckled. “When you solve all of this school’s mysteries your thinking will definitely change… you’ll be grateful that you’re in here!”

Kirigiri looked at everyone else in the room. “I think that there is a hidden meaning in those words.” She turned to Monokuma. “Similarly to when you said that the punishment was what _everyone_ was waiting for. Who were you referring to?”

Monokuma laughed awkwardly. “Well, I better get going! Wouldn’t wanna’ spoil the fun by saying too much! See ya’ later!” With that, Monokuma disappeared. 

For a while, everyone was silent. They still couldn’t believe what had happened. After a few minutes, Kirigiri walked over to Makoto to ask if they could talk before they left. “It’s about Maizono, isn’t it?” He asked. She moved closer to whisper in his ear. “I’m surprised that you figured out what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember that I told you before the trial that you needed to figure out this mystery on your own?”

“It was because you wanted to make me realize Maizono’s betrayal for myself, wasn’t it? The thought never even crossed my mind. I feel like such a fool for not seeing it coming...” 

“Yes, Maizono meant to double-cross you. That’s a fact that you can never change. But even until the very end, she wasn’t sure about her decision. That’s why, as she was dying, she was thinking of you.”

“You can’t just say something like that… how would you even know?”

“Even if you can’t ask her, you can infer, can you not? Her final thought was how she could protect you. The fact that she used her last ounce of energy to leave her dying message proves it. If she didn’t care about what happened to you, she wouldn’t have left that message.”

“Well, maybe she just wanted to get back at the person who killed her..?”

“That’s certainly a possibility. But I don’t think that’s what it was. She was… uncertain. She wasn’t sure that she could kill someone- or deceive you. That is why her plan failed. Her hesitation attracted failure. It’s almost ironic when you think about it.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Sure, Makoto appreciated her attempt at comforting him, but he didn’t understand why she felt like she needed to. He really didn’t need it. He had dealt with things like this before… but there was no way for her to know that. To everyone else, he was the Ultimate Lucky Student, not a trained and dangerous assassin housing the guilt of having taken many people’s lives. 

“Because you’re the kind of person who can overcome this. Because you can move past the deaths of our friends and keep moving forward. Without someone like that, the others would never be able to break free of such a desperate situation.”

“Move past their deaths? That’s… I could never do that. I’m going to carry them with me for the rest of my life. How could I possibly ‘move past’ something like that? Maizono, Kuwata… I’ll carry them with me forever. I’ll carry their memories wherever I go!” Makoto had killed many people, but not once has he moved past any of their deaths. He truly carries the weight and the guilt with him every single day. That’s why his talent is truly ultimate. 

“So instead of forgetting them, you’re choosing the hard road? Well, I have high expectations for you.”

Kirigiri revealed a small smile. It disappeared a fraction of a second later. “Though I have to admit, I’m curious how you knew that I wanted to talk to you about Maizono.”

Makoto thought back to the many times that he had conversations with the idol. What was it that she always said? 

Right.

“I’m psychic.”

Kirigiri gasped. “What…?”

“Just kidding.” Makoto smiled softly. “I just have pretty good intuition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Glad that's finally over. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! That took me ages to finish! Also, sorry that the entire thing is just a recap of the first trial and investigation. I did add some new things in there to keep things interesting, but I commend whoever actually sat through that entire chapter! So, now that the stage has finally been set, we can start getting into the fun part! Sorry that you had to stick around for three chapters before anything interesting happened, but the next chapter will be what you've all (probably) been waiting for! I'd also like to mention that I'm sorry that the adorable joke at the end makes less sense because Sayaka never said anything like that in this story. Just go with it though, she said it in canon, and that's good enough for me! Again, thanks to everyone who actually managed to read that, I really appreciate you! I'm super excited for the next chapter, so hopefully, it'll be up soon! Feel free to leave me your constructive criticism in the comments. Or, if you happen to spot a mistake or two, let me know! See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second floor of the school is now open, and Togami finds some interesting information...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay. I'm back everyone- and it only took three days! That's a new record! To be completely honest though, I really didn't expect to release this chapter so soon. It kind of took me by surprise. I was just typing away and next thing I knew, the chapter was done. That doesn't mean I think it was rushed or anything. At least, I hope that it wasn't. I was just very excited to post chapter four, as I said last time. I'm quite proud of this one, so I hope you enjoy it and don't hate me by the end of it! (I'm sure you'll get what I mean by the end of the chapter)

The morning after the trial, Byakuya woke up earlier than usual. There was only around a half-hour before the morning announcement was due to play, so Byakuya decided to just lie in bed for a while longer. He was unusually exhausted due to the class trial that occurred the day before- though he found his thoughts wandering back to yesterday. Specifically, Naegi’s behavior. 

He had known for a while that there was something the boy wasn’t telling them, but yesterday had just confirmed his suspicions. He carried himself much differently in the class trial then he had during the rest of their stay in the school. He was much more assertive- showcasing his intelligence and remarkable perceptiveness. Byakuya supposed that didn’t say much though- the murder case was so ridiculously easy to solve, he wouldn’t even consider it a mystery. But- from what he had seen of Naegi, the boy never even hinted at having more than average intelligence. 

He honestly expected way less from him- but from the way that he was glaring at Kuwata during almost the _entire_ trial, he’d clearly known who had killed his friend from the very beginning. Suffice to say, Naegi wore quite the ugly look for most of the trial. He had this menacing scowl on his face, eyes sharp and calculating. He would’ve never expected that Naegi could even _attempt_ to make a face like that. He just seemed so nice and innocent. He had to be hiding something. 

Since that was most likely true, Byakuya figured that the kind and compassionate persona was a lie- a mask. It had to be for him to muster up the look he shot at Kuwata. It was so very out of character for him, from what Byakuya could tell. He truly looked like he wanted Kuwata dead. And that was a frightening thought. If you took one look at Naegi, your first observation would probably be _‘he isn’t capable of killing anyone’_ so, if he truly was... that would be disastrous. He supposed that the takeaway from this was that Naegi was _not_ a person to be trusted. 

Suddenly the morning announcement began to play. Although, it was a bit different than before. Monokuma told them to go to the gym. Apparently the bear had something to tell them. Once the monitor shut off, Byakuya got dressed and walked to the gym.

When he arrived he swung open the doors and walked inside, taking his spot at the back of the crowd. After a while, Monokuma popped out of nowhere. 

“Good morning everyone! I just wanted to tell you all about a special something that will happen after every trial! I know that you would all get bored being cooped up in this tiny school, so after every trial, a new world will be available to you! That’s all I had to say- see you later!”

A few people uttered their confusion aloud. “A new world? What does Monokuma mean…?” Ogami said. 

Ishimaru made his way to the front of the crowd. “I’m not sure… but I think that if we take one more look around the school- we’ll figure it out!”

With that, everyone left to investigate the school once more. Byakuya made his way out of the gym and began to walk down the hall. He noticed that the stairs that led to the next floor- which were previously blocked by a gate- were now available. This was probably what Monokuma had meant when he mentioned the ‘new world.’ He walked up the stairs and found himself on the second floor of the school. 

Near the entrance to the floor, there was a pool area. If you walked through the door, you would be greeted with a small waiting room- and opposite to the entrance were two doors that lead to locker rooms. You needed to scan your e-handbook to enter them, and you could only enter the one assigned to your gender. 

Besides a couple of classrooms and bathrooms, there really wasn’t much of note on the new floor besides… the library. When Byakuya initially realized that there was a library, he found himself to be a little giddy. Reading was one of his hobbies, and he had found himself to be rather bored during the time he had been stuck here. 

So, when he entered the room and spotted the large catalog of classic- and more contemporary- literature, he was even _more_ excited to have some time to himself so he could browse through all of the books here. Though that would have to come later. 

He immediately noticed a few things about the library. There was a door at the back of the room- he would have to investigate that later on- there was a letter lying on top of a short bookshelf, and there were two desks. One seemed to have a laptop resting on top of it. The other just had a small pile of books on the edge of the table. Once he was finished taking in his surroundings, he heard the door to the library swing open. He turned his head and spotted Kirigiri making her way to the other end of the room. She passed by him, only uttering a curt, “Togami.” 

She had walked right over to the desk at the back, taking note of the laptop sitting there. She opened it and started pressing the power button to no avail. So it didn’t work? _Fantastic_. Though, she seemed too determined to notice and continued to try and power it on. 

The library door opened once again- this time with both Yamada and Fukawa walking into the room. Upon their entry, they got into a heated argument over whether or not fan comics are considered real literature. What a pointless endeavor. Byakuya decided that he would just browse the shelves for the time being. At least that wouldn’t be a waste of time. Byakuya _hates_ wasting his time. 

After skimming the shelves for a while, a fifth person entered the library. Byakuya looked up from the book he was currently flipping through and noticed that Naegi was now standing in the center of the room, taking a look at the letter Byakuya had noticed earlier. He turned it around in his hands before he asked Kirigiri whether or not they should open it. He stated that it would be rude to open someone else's mail, and she simply said that it would be worse not to see what was inside the strange letter.

Byakuya made his way over to Naegi and read the letter over his shoulder. 

> _Throughout the years, we have been committed to shaping the youth who will one day shape the world. We have a long, proud history as an institution of higher learning with full governmental support. Our graduates enter society ready to take on active leadership roles in every major job field. However, Hope’s Peak Academy must now lower the curtain on it’s glorious history, for the time being. This decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake- this is not the end for Hope’s Peak Academy. We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved. That being said, this is the end for now, and I would like to personally and sincerely thank everyone for your help and support over the years. For now, we are awaiting official governmental authorization to formally cease operations._

Hmm. Hope’s Peak had apparently closed? 

“It seems that Hope’s Peak has stopped functioning as a school. And judging by the amount of dust the letter had collected, it doesn’t seem to have happened recently. If I had to guess, I’d say that this letter is about a year old.” Kirigiri stated.

Naegi spoke up next. “So, you’re saying that Hope’s Peak closed down at least a year ago?”

Byakuya wondered why he needed to confirm that was what she meant. Wasn’t it obvious? Byakuya huffed. “Most likely, the mastermind took over the abandoned school in order to put on this little performance.”

Naegi’s eyebrows scrunched up. “But that would mean that it was closed when I got here a few days ago. I definitely didn’t get that sense at all… Plus, if it had shut down, don’t you think it would be all over the news? I mean, you’re saying it could’ve happened over a year ago, right? Before I got here, I looked up stuff about the school and never heard about anything like this.”

Byakuya supposed that Naegi was right about that, but… “That must’ve all been a part of the mastermind’s plan. They lured us all in here… Someone who could create a place to judge and execute people could potentially be capable of anything. Of course, that’s all assuming that this letter is real.”

Kirigiri nodded her head. “If it is real though, that would solve one mystery about this school. The reason that there are no other students could be because the school had already closed down.”

Naegi furrowed his brows again. “But what about this part?” Naegi pointed to a specific section of the letter.

> _This decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake- this is not the end for Hope’s Peak Academy. We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved._

“What did they mean by _serious issues_? Is there any connection between that and what’s happening to us now…?”

Byakuya figured that there was. It made the most sense to him. And if they could discover what _serious issues_ that they had been referring to, that could possibly give them clues about the reason that they were stuck in here. In other words, the mastermind’s motive. 

Once he was finished investigating the second floor, he made his way to the dining hall to meet up with all of his classmates. Usually, he would skip meetings like this, but in the rare case that he had bypassed something important, he felt like he needed to attend. 

Unfortunately, there _really_ wasn’t anything of interest. The only quote on quote ‘important’ information that was shared was the fact that two of the previously closed locations- the warehouse and bathhouse- were now open. After that was shared, the meeting was practically over. 

For the rest of the day, Byakuya found himself back in the library, where he picked out a book- a mystery novel- and sat down to read. Hopefully, the knowledge would come in handy during this unfortunate situation.

* * *

The next morning, Byakuya awoke to Monokuma’s morning announcement. Again, it was a bit different than usual. The bear mentioned that a new rule was added to their e-handbooks. He supposed he could check it out later. He quickly got out of bed and got ready for the day, leaving his room as fast as possible to reach the dining hall before all of his classmates would be meeting there for breakfast. He sped to the kitchen, prepared a cup of coffee, and slipped away. Thankfully none of his bothersome classmates caught him. He made his way up the stairs to the second floor, intending to go to the library and continue reading the book that he had started yesterday. It was an interesting story, really. He supposed that he always did fancy reading mystery novels. It was quite exhilarating to figure out ‘whodunnit’ even before the characters in the story.

He swung open the library door and set his coffee down on the table in the center of the room. He glanced around the room for a moment. For a library, the lighting in the room wasn’t ideal for any kind of reading. He wondered where he could find some sort of lamp? His head snapped towards the door at the other end of the room. He could find one there. 

He walked over to the door and went inside, taking in his surroundings. It seemed like just another room full of books, but on closer inspection, he realized that he was wrong. While skimming over the shelves he noticed that many of the ‘books’ inhabiting them weren’t books- they were case files. He recognized nearly every one there- after all, he had almost all of them in his family's archive at home. Being as rich and important as the Togami’s were, it was not hard to get a hold of such things- confidential information or not. It was strange though- why would Hope’s Peak have an archive full of case files on extremely confidential crimes? He supposed it could be because of a similar reason that he had access to them. The assets that this school had were nearly on par with his family. And that was saying a lot.

He directed his attention away from the shelves and scanned the room for some sort of lamp. His eyes landed on an open box which contained a lamp, and an extension cord. _Perfect_. He grabbed both of them and made his way back into the main library. He looked along the wall for an outlet, and he found one across from the desk he planned to read at. He plugged it in and brought the end over to his chair. It just so happened to reach far enough. With that, he plugged in the lamp and began reading his book, sipping his coffee every once in a while. 

After around twenty minutes of peace and quiet, the door burst open, and a concerned looking Naegi sped over to him. Byakuya was convinced that the boy was going to run into him, but he skidded to a stop right in front of Byakuya.

“Togami! There you are!” The boy started. “Everyone was so worried that something had happened to you!”

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “And who asked for any of you to worry about me? I’m fine.”

“But- still. None of us saw you go anywhere and you weren’t answering your door… of course we would be concerned.”

Byakuya scowled. Why would Naegi be concerned about him? He’d certainly never asked for it. He thought he had made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with him or the rest of their classmates. Although he could admit, if he was _forced_ to cooperate with at least one of them, Naegi would be the most tolerable. But that didn’t mean that he was seeking for- god forbid- _friendship_. The thought honestly disgusted him. How could you stand to make friends in this situation? All of the other cretins trapped in here with them are their enemies! As it stands, it’s kill or be killed, and making friends just increases your chances of ending up as the latter. 

Since Byakuya hadn’t said anything, Naegi took that as a cue to keep speaking. “Well, what if something _had_ happened to you?”

Byakuya shook his head. “It wouldn’t have. It’s simply not possible.”

Naegi’s jaw dropped as he looked at Byakuya in shock. “N-not possible?! Of _course,_ it’s possible!” The short boy’s eyes narrowed. “You should know as well as I do that your attitude is _going_ to get you killed. People would rather kill the _haughty asshole_ than the person who got into their good graces. I don’t _care_ if you’re _Togami Byakuya_. Just because ‘losing’ seems impossible to you, at this rate you're setting yourself up for failure!”

Byakuya’s eye twitched. That little runt was getting on his nerves. “And what makes you think you have the right to talk to _me_ like that. Know your place. I won’t lose. Games are meant to be won, aren’t they?”

At this point, Naegi was fuming. If Togami wasn’t an intimidating person himself, he would be shaking in his boots. Yet another example that Naegi was not what he seemed to be…

“A game?! What about this is a game? People are _dead_ , Togami. I knew you were a _prick_ , but I thought you _at least_ had a heart somewhere in there!” 

Then, Naegi seemed to regret his decision to yell. Byakuya supposed that he could give him credit where credit was due. It certainly took a lot of guts to yell at Togami Byakuya- but to outright tell him that he was _wrong_? That was utterly unheard of… He supposed that he had some respect for Naegi. 

Naegi’s voice grew quiet and sheepish. “I-I’m sorry for yelling at you.” But at once, his voice grew cold again. “But keep in mind what I said. That’s an awful way to look at things. You’re just putting your life in danger.” With that, Naegi stalked out of the library, presumably to tell all of their classmates that he was, in fact, perfectly fine. 

Byakuya sat back down, picked up his book, and began to read once more. 

* * *

The next day, Byakuya was in the library, reading his book, when he heard the library door creak open. It seemed that whenever he sought for a moment of peace, someone interrupted him. He kept his focus on his book, but in the corner of his eye, he spotted Naegi and Fukawa creeping towards him. He kept his gaze trained to the page he was in the middle of reading, and he caught them whispering to each other.

“He’s h-here- he’s really here! Okay, Naegi- go talk to him!”

“What!?”

“Stop b-being so loud! Just hurry up and g-go talk to him!”

“ _You_ go talk to him if you want to so bad!”

“I c-can’t! I don’t want to i-interrupt him…”

He heard Naegi sigh, and then the boy began to make his way over to Byakuya. He looked up from his book and set it on the table beside him. Naegi had an apologetic look on his face and opened his mouth- but before he could speak, Byakuya beat him to it. “ _Y_ _ou_. Why are you back here? I hate even having to look at you. Leave. And take her with you.”

“Hey, um- Byakuya?” Fukawa stuttered. “Remember how you said, _Don’t be a woman who dominates w-weak men. Be a woman dominated by a strong man?_ ”

What on earth was she talking about? It must be one of her weird fantasies. He sighed. “I never said that.”

“W-well actually, I just thought it sounded like s-something that you _might_ say…”

Byakuya sighed again. “Get out. And go take a bath. You smell.”

Fukawa gasped.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Go now, before your stench latches onto the entire room.”

“O-okay…”

Then, both Naegi and Fukawa walked off. Byakuya swore he heard Naegi mutter under his breath, “Asshole…” Byakuya sighed for the third time. He never said he was a nice person, did he?

Preferring not to dwell on what just happened, Byakuya returned to his book. After a while though, he set it down again. He just couldn’t focus. He needed to find something else to do. And the solution was only a few feet away. He had yet to browse through the files in the archive yet, and he couldn’t think of a better time to do so than now. He bookmarked his page, and walked over to the archive, stepping inside. 

For the next little while, Byakuya began to sift through each and every file in the archive. Once he had finally taken a look at all of the files on the far right shelf, he moved onto the next one. He picked up more and more files, merely skimming them and putting them back. None of them were all that interesting to him. Except for one. When he found his hand resting on the case file for the Genocide Jack murders, he knew that he had finally found something worthwhile. Even though he had read this file multiple times over, no matter how many times he reread it, it still interested him. How someone managed to kill countless men in the same brutal fashion without getting caught was very intriguing. As he flipped through the file, he found the same information he had known as well as the back of his hand. 

_Genocide jack kills using the same method every time. The victims are crucified with scissors, and a fact that many people don’t know is that the victims are also suspended in a very particular way each time. It is suspected that the killer also suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder._

Byakuya felt a cold smile creep onto his face. He wondered who could be capable of such heinous crimes?

Once he got to the end of the file, he went to slide it back on the shelf- but he noticed something. Something very odd. Hidden behind many case files- including the one that he just read, was a folder. A thin black folder. If he hadn’t been so meticulous when searching the shelves, surely he would’ve missed it. Which _could_ be because someone didn’t want it to be found but… why leave it there anyways if you actually needed to hide it?

Byakuya stuck his hand through the opening in the books, and carefully removed the folder. It was presumably another case file, but it was strangely bare. For a case file, there didn’t seem to be much of a _case_ . On the front, the only indication that the folder contained any information at all was the bold red letters that read, ‘ _confidential_.’ For some reason, Byakuya felt a little nervous to open it. Something told him that whatever was in here- he would be better off not knowing about. 

Besides that thought though, Byakuya was excited to have the opportunity to look at something so _obviously_ private and important. So, with that thought, he cracked open the folder. 

What he saw confused him. 

It was some sort of profile. In the left corner of the page, there was a picture of a stoic looking girl with black hair, and blunt bangs covering her forehead. Her piercing red eyes bore into his soul- so empty and devoid of life. It was jarring. It seemed to be some sort of record for a student Hope’s Peak hoped to scout. The profile stated her name, birthday, and other personal information, like her talent. It seemed like she was a year younger than he was. They probably intended to scout her next year. But- when his eyes wandered down to take a good look at what her talent was, his jaw dropped. 

> _Ultimate Talent: Assassin_

All Byakuya could do was stare. Assassin? The school that he was currently attending- well, not quite, this was hardly called ‘going to school’- they scouted assassins? He knew that Hope’s Peak scouted talented individuals for almost every profession imaginable- but an assassin? Why on earth would a government-funded school willingly scout someone so dangerous that they killed people for _money_? Despite his shock though, he felt a little relieved. At least none of his classmates had such a lethal talent. They would surely pose a threat in a situation like this. Byakuya skimmed the page once more and found nothing else interesting. 

He was about to close the file and return it to the shelf, but something caught his eye. There was another paper, hidden behind the one he was currently studying. He felt his pulse quicken once again. If there was another page- and it was grouped together with the profile of an assassin, wouldn’t that mean that there could be another? Another assassin that they were planning to scout- or had _already_ scouted. He supposed that there was only one way to find out. 

Byakuya slowly raised his hand and gripped onto the profile. He slid it out of the way and was greeted by another shocking sight. It was the profile for Naegi Makoto. The boy’s face stared up at him, devoid of emotion in the same way as that girl from before… Byakuya got chills. How could such a usually upbeat and happy boy look so cold? His eyes wandered down to the personal information.

> _Name: Naegi Makoto_
> 
> _Birthdate: February 5th_
> 
> _Height: 5’3_
> 
> _Weight: 115 lbs (52 kg)_
> 
> _Ultimate Talent: Assassin_

Byakuya blinked once. Twice. Three times. Surely he read that incorrectly. But no matter how many times he blinked, or reread the sentence currently haunting him, it didn’t change. It just kept saying the same thing. The word _assassin_ was never replaced with the word luck. Byakuya just stared at the page in front of him, slack-jawed. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Literally. He thought that he must be going insane. Sure, Byakuya thought he had been hiding something, but not anything regarding his talent. He couldn’t deny it though, all the signs pointed to this being the truth. How had he not seen it sooner? Probably because before this, he thought that Naegi was incapable of even _fathoming_ that he _could_ kill someone. Not that he was already a _cold-blooded murderer_. 

But- even if it seemed all too obvious to him, part of him still refused to believe it. There was some _goddamn_ part of his _soul_ that wanted to believe in Naegi Makoto. It could be because, if it _was_ true, then he’d need to distance himself from the boy. Maybe he didn’t want that. 

Byakuya ultimately decided that he needed to find more evidence before confronting the boy about it. More evidence to finally put the nail in the coffin. 

Did he want evidence to prove the file right- or evidence to clear Naegi’s name? He honestly wasn’t sure. But, how would he get any…

* * *

That night, Makoto was about to drift off to sleep when what he assumed was the nighttime announcement jerked him awake. Monokuma appeared on his monitor and told them all- not that it was nighttime- but that they needed to go down to the gym immediately.

Makoto reluctantly picked himself up and headed towards the gym. He had a really bad feeling about why Monokuma had called them there… It must not have been a good thing considering that it never was when Monokuma was involved. 

When he entered the gym and made his way over to the crowd, he felt a particularly weighty stare on him. When he lifted his gaze and scanned the room, he immediately noticed that the person staring at him was Togami. His eyebrows were furrowed and he had a small scowl on his face. It was honestly not that different from Togami’s usual ‘vaguely annoyed’ expression, but something about it felt a little off. Makoto quirked an eyebrow at him, and Togami just continued to stare. 

Soon, Monokuma had popped out of nowhere and began speaking immediately after his arrival. “So, to be completely honest, you’ve all been boring me. Like, _really_ , where is the next blackened? I thought for sure that after last time, you would’ve been more motivated- but I guess I was wrong... So I came up with a new way to motivate you! The motive this time is… wait for it…”

“Embarrassing secrets and memories! I know that we all have something we’d rather keep to ourselves, so that’s why, in twenty-four hours, I’m going to reveal each and _every_ one of your precious secrets. Unless someone commits a murder before then, your _deepest_ , _darkest_ , most _embarrassing_ secret will be revealed to everyone!”

Monokuma held up multiple envelopes, each with a surviving student's name written on them. He quickly passed them out, disappearing with a short, “See ya’ later!”

The tension was incredibly thick as everyone scrambled to grab their envelope and open it. He really hoped that his real talent wasn’t the secret that Monokuma had chosen- but he _really_ wasn’t the real Ultimate Lucky Student. He could _never_ be that lucky. 

Makoto’s hands trembled as they opened the envelope. He slowly pulled out the slip of paper- gasping as he read the words that he knew had to be there. 

_Naegi Makoto’s true talent is assassination. He is known as the Ultimate Assassin._

Makoto wasn’t the only person who was shocked. It seems that all of his other classmates had their dirtiest secret written on their paper too. But, he highly doubted that any of their secrets could be worse than his. 

He felt his face contort into the same chilling expression it had when he was hunting his targets. His gaze scanned the room- and without his permission, his brain began to search for a suitable target. He snapped himself out of it before those thoughts could fester. His assassin instincts had kicked in without him realizing it. He knew that he didn’t want to get hurt again- which was bound to happen if his secret was revealed- but he didn’t want anyone else to die either. Was saving himself that kind of pain worth causing the death of twelve other people? Did he want to trade one type of pain for another? Of course not. And anyway- as much as he didn’t want it to come to that, someone else would probably snap. If he considered killing for his secret- even for a split second- when he had affirmed that he wouldn’t be letting any more murders happen, what would everyone else do? He honestly couldn’t tell... and as much as he hated to admit it, he really was counting on someone else committing a murder. Then he could pretend to have real friends for a while longer- forgetting all about his true talent.

It may have been selfish, but he really didn’t need to hurt more than he already did.

After some debate on whether or not they should be sharing their secrets- a debate that was kickstarted by Ishimaru- everyone headed back to their rooms. 

When Makoto got back to his dorm, he walked straight to the other side of the room. He set his motive on the table and approached the large painting on the back wall. He hadn’t been back there again since he first checked out his room, but he was sure that if he hid his motive there, that no one would ever find it. He lifted the painting and grabbed the key to the door from where he had hidden it. He opened up his supply closet full of weapons and placed his motive on one of the shelves- hopefully, to never see the light of day again. Or rather, to never resurface. They didn’t get any sunlight trapped in this strange school… 

Once he was finished hiding his secret, he locked it away and got ready for bed. The next twenty-four hours were going to be tense. 

* * *

“Good morning!”

Makoto was startled awake by Monokuma’s annoying voice. His impeccable reflexes caused him to nearly hit the bear, but he stopped himself once he recognized who was standing next to his bed. 

“H-huh!?”

The bear laughed. “Nice reaction! Glad to see that you didn’t disappoint!”

“What!? What are you doing here!?”

“I wanted to spice things up- so instead of a school announcement, I decided to wake you up in person!”

“What the hell for!?” Makoto growled.

“Because it’s fun. And, as long as I’m here, I figured I’d let you hear it right from the bear’s mouth.”

Makoto furrowed his eyebrows. What could Monokuma be talking about? Unless…

A pool of unmistakable dread swirled around in Makoto’s stomach.

“Are you sure you should be acting so laid back? Even though something happened to one of your buddy-buddy classmates?”

Someone else was dead!?

Once Monokuma finished talking, Makoto hopped out of bed and quickly threw his clothes on. He sprinted out his door and down the hall, reaching the dining hall and ripping open the doors. He skidded to a stop in front of the large table, scanning the faces in the room. 

Asahina looked at him with a concerned expression on her face. “Ah, Naegi! Are- are you okay?”

“Did Monokuma talk to you too?” Ogami asked.

Naegi quickly nodded before he turned to look at the other people in the room with them. Hagakure and… Togami? Makoto wondered why Togami chose _today_ of all days to finally come to the dining hall. He didn’t have time to question that though. There were more important matters at hand.

“Where is everyone else?” Makoto’s tone was very obviously laced with worry as he looked between his classmates. 

Byakuya shot a look at Makoto that was reminiscent of the look he gave Makoto yesterday evening. “They're already off trying to verify what Monokuma said. Or, they’ve fallen victim to the _‘something’_ that Monokuma mentioned.” 

“B-but- how? Could it be because of yesterday? But those were just a bunch of old memories!” Asahina stated.

“Old memories?” Byakuya sneered. “Don’t be so sure about that. Clearly, someone felt it was more important than that.” He gave a pointed look in Makoto’s direction for whatever reason. “To judge someone else’s values based on your own outlook… do you realize how dangerous that is?”

“Wh-why didn’t you just say that yesterday?” Asahina mumbled.

“Because this isn’t a co-op game. It’s every man for himself. What good does it do me to go out of my way to help you?”

Hagakure interrupted whatever Asahina was about to say. “There’s something wrong with him, for serious. Did he get brainwashed or something?”

Ogami shook her head. “That isn’t important right now. We need to figure out what happened.”

“She’s right. Let’s all split up and begin looking.” Togami said.

Then, everyone left the dining hall.

He really didn’t intend to, but Makoto found himself following Togami. He stuck to the shadows, similarly to how he had acted on their first day there. He followed Togami all the way up to the second floor, where he headed towards the entrance to the pool area. He stepped inside, and a few moments later, Makoto followed suit. When he looked around the room though, it was empty. Togami must’ve entered the boy's locker room then. He walked over to the door, prepared to unlock it using his handbook, but it seemed to be open already. Weird. 

Before he could step inside, four chimes rang through the room, signaling a school announcement. Monokuma appeared on the monitor and told them that for this investigation, he had unlocked a few doors- Makoto assumed that he meant the locker room doors. After that, the monitor shut off. An investigation, huh?

Out of nowhere, Togami materialized beside him. “Just as I thought…”

Makoto jumped. Since when was Togami in the room with him?

“Togami!?”

“Judging by what he just said, there can be no doubt that murder really _has_ taken place. And the locker rooms… they’re suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed. Wouldn’t you agree? It seems that nobody has searched them yet. Let’s start with the girl's locker room.” Togami was muttering as if he was only talking to himself. When he finished speaking, he just turned to the girl's locker room door and walked inside. Makoto reluctantly followed him. 

The sight he was greeted with was chilling. 

They had just discovered the corpse of Fujisaki Chihiro. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'd just like to preface this by saying, I'm sorry that Byakuya didn't confront Makoto in this chapter. I really didn't want to make you wait, but I felt that everything would make a lot more sense if the confrontation didn't happen until later on. For now, I'm going to hold off on saying any more about it because that would technically be spoiling my plans for the next few chapters. Also, I'd like to apologize for the absolutely mediocre "schedule" for the updates. The other chapters took nearly three weeks to finally finish, and I cranked this one out in three days! I guess that just goes to show that I'm very productive when motivated. And oh boy, was I motivated to write this one. But, I'm sure the next chapter will take a lot longer. Writing trials is time-consuming. 
> 
> I know that when I started this fic I said that I wouldn't put a lot of focus on the trials, but here we are. I just think that they provide very good opportunities for character development. I would also feel weird skipping out on major story beats like the trials. 
> 
> Welp, I guess that's all I really had to say this time around. Sorry that you have to keep reading the essays I call notes haha. If you have any constructive criticism or if you found a mistake or two, feel free to let me know in the comments! Anyways, I'll talk to you next time I update!
> 
> Um, side note- I just noticed that the notes for the first chapter are also here (well they are for me at least), which is kinda weird. Sorry, I don't really know how to fix it. I guess just don't think about it too much. They're just kind of, well, there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second class trial begins, and Makoto attempts to solve the case...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm back! I'll admit, they aren't as bad as I thought that they would be, but trials really are a pain in the ass to write. Especially because I love to write things in as much detail as possible. But, besides the fact that today alone, writing this chapter has consumed almost eleven straight hours of my life, it was fun to write! I'm really enjoying writing this fic, and I'm super happy that people are loving it! Also, we surpassed 200 kudos! Yay! I'm so thankful that so many of you have left kudos and nice comments. It really makes my day, and I'm sure that I'd be less motivated to continue without all of your support! Thank you! Also, I'd like to apologize once again for the absolute monster chapter that this is. This one clocked in at 11726 words! It's nearly 2000 words longer than the last trial! Anyways, how about we get right into the chapter!

Makoto could only stare at the scene in front of him with a vacant expression on his face. He knew deep down that someone would snap, but that thought didn’t stop his jaw from dropping in shock. What kind of sick bastard would do that to Fujisaki!? Her body was hung by some kind of rope- a scene that resembled a sick sort of crucifixion. Her head was dripping blood, most likely from a fatal blow to the head. On the wall behind her were the words ‘bloodlust’ scrawled in blood. The scene brought a chilling sense of familiarity to him like he had seen something like this before. Makoto was startled out of his thoughts when Togami spoke up from beside him. 

“Hmm. Such a brutal way to murder someone, don’t you think? The murder is too bizarre for it to be the work of an amateur. Unlike with Maizono, this was not a crime of passion or necessity. It’s almost as if whoever killed her did it for fun. ”

Makoto supposed that he had a point. The method- from what he could tell- was lackluster, simply a blow to the head. Though, the way the body was positioned was clearly intentional. Did they do it for fun? It’s possible, but he was already starting to doubt it. There was something strange going on here. Why was Togami trying to feed him this information?

Suddenly, Ishimaru burst into the room. “Has anyone-” He cut himself off and screamed. Ishimaru’s eyes welled up with tears as he took in the sight of Fujisaki’s dead body. Before he had any time to process her death, the monitor in the room flickered on. “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you will use to investigate, the class trial will begin!” As quickly as it had started, the announcement concluded. Ishimaru sobbed in the corner of the room as the rest of their classmates filed in. Everyone voiced their disbelief, devastated that another one of their friends had been murdered.

When almost everyone had already entered the room, Fukawa finally rushed in. As soon as she saw Fujisaki’s body, she cried out. “N-no… Why..? Why!?” Suddenly, Fukawa fainted, dropping to the floor with a distinct thud. Although, almost as soon as she hit the ground, she sprang up again. 

“Sorry about that. I was just so shocked, you know? It happens right?”

Asahina rushed over to her. “F-Fukawa, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Fukawa cackled unsettlingly. “Woah- is that a dead body? Hey, are you dead!?” She cackled again. 

“She must’ve hit her head real hard when she fainted…” Hagakure said.

Fukawa stared off into the distance, looking at nothing in particular. “The world has a front and a back, a top inning and a bottom, a sea of truth, and a web of lies!”

Yamada quivered. “This is… quite concerning. She sounds completely different…”

“No, no, no! Everything's fine! At least the stutter is all gone. That's a good thing, right!?” Fukawa cackled. 

Ogami shook her head in exasperation. “It might be best if we take her back to her room for the time being…”

“I don’t mind taking her, but… could someone come with me? Um… Ishimaru? Will you help me?” Asahina volunteered. 

Ishimaru nodded. The two grabbed Fukawa and walked off. Wasting no time, Togami addressed the group. “Can I assume nobody has a problem leaving Ogami and Owada on guard duty again?” Everyone voiced their agreement. “Well, then. Let us all begin our investigations.”

Out of nowhere, Monokuma appeared in the middle of the room. “Woah, woah, woah! Don’t get ahead of yourselves! I have something to give you! Allow me to present the second Monokuma file!” The bear held up many black folders and set them on the ground. “Oh, and one more thing. I just thought of a new rule! Each blackened is only allowed to kill two people!” The bear paused for a moment. “Huh. I wonder why I needed to say that…? Maybe It’ll be relevant later… Anywho, good luck on your investigation!” With that, the bear disappeared again. 

> **< <INVESTIGATION: START!>>**

Makoto started off his investigation by reading the Monokuma file. 

_ Victim: Fujisaki Chihiro _

_ Time of Death: Approximately 2:00 A.M _

_ The corpse was discovered in the girl's locker room on the second floor.  _

_ Cause of Death: A blow to the head with a blunt object. The victim died instantly.  _

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA FILE #2**

Sadly, this information wasn’t exactly helpful. He could already infer how she died. Although, the time of death  _ could  _ help determine the culprit. 

When Makoto was about to examine Fujisaki’s body, Togami walked over to him. “Naegi, do you have a second?” Makoto nodded. “Did you need something from me?” He already thought Togami was acting strangely, but what on earth would he need Makoto for?  _ What are you hiding?  _

“Of course. Life is dull without purpose.”

“So, what did you need?”

“I’m going to let you cooperate with me during my investigation.”

Makoto gave him a confused look. Togami’s out of character behavior only made Makoto more suspicious…

“I’m purchasing your talent. The same talent which allowed you to solve Maizono’s case. You seem to have limited use, which is why I’ve chosen you. You have the honor of contributing to my investigation.”

Makoto was mildly shocked. That was the most arrogant way he could’ve asked Makoto to investigate alongside him. Makoto supposed he didn’t really have anything to lose though. Working with Togami might give him more insight as to what exactly is going on with him…

“Now then, shall we get started?”

“I never even said I’d investigate with you. I  _ will _ , but  _ seriously _ .”

Togami huffed. “Whatever. We need to get moving. There’s no time to be standing around.” With that, Makoto headed over to Fujisaki’s body, Togami in tow. 

The first thing that he noticed was a dumbbell sitting near the body. One end of it was covered in blood. That must be the murder weapon. He supposed he could also look at Fujisaki’s wound too. If the diameter of the wound and the dumbbell were the same, they could be sure. His eyes scanned the carpet, but he found nothing of note. Nothing besides the bloodstain in the corner. That must be where she was struck.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: LOCKER ROOM DUMBBELL**

Next, Makoto moved on to examining Fujisaki’s body. He checked her head wound and found that the size of it matched the dumbbell. He also checked the rest of her body for any additional wounds but found none. Although, while he was examining her, he felt a strange bulge near her crotch. His face went red. It couldn’t be, could it? He shook his head to gather his thoughts. It was unlikely. Even so, he kept the idea in the back of his mind. If that  _ was _ what he thought it was, then what would that mean for this case?

He backed away from Fujisaki’s body to look at the message that had been written behind her. It was the words ‘bloodlust.’ He had certainly heard those words before. They were the words that a famous serial killer, Genocide Jack, would write at the scene of the murders they committed. This crime did seem to parallel that particular killing style. He had seen his fair share of Genocide Jack crime scene photos, and he could spot many similarities. For instance, the bloody text behind Fujisaki’s body. It seemed like some sort of copycat killer. It seemed unlikely that the real Genocide Jack could be among them, but in this situation anything was possible. 

Makoto walked over to Ogami to see if she had any evidence or theories on what happened to Fujisaki. She said that she believed Fujisaki had gone to the locker room of her own accord, not that she was killed somewhere else and brought there. Apparently, Fujisaki had said many times that she wished to get stronger, but whenever Ogami and Asahina would invite her to train with them, she wouldn’t show up. Ogami also believed that Fujisaki must’ve taken someone to the locker room with her because she wouldn’t be able to train by herself. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: OGAMI’S ACCOUNT**

Next, Makoto approached Owada. He wanted to get everyone's testimonies. “Dude had a real complex about being weak…” Owada turned his head to the ground. Makoto couldn’t imagine how much this must’ve affected him. He seemed like he was quite close to Fujisaki… Although, he did think it was strange. Owada referred to Fujisaki as ‘dude.’ He usually used that to refer to the other guys. He never seemed to call any of the girls that… Maybe his earlier discovery  _ was _ right. Although, if it was, why would Owada know? 

“You heard Fujisaki talk about it, right?  _ All I need is to get stronger! _ ” Owada continued.

“Yeah, I do remember. She said that more than once.”

“Sure did… which explains the trip down here.”

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: OWADA’S ACCOUNT**

Abruptly, Togami tapped Makoto on the shoulder. “I believe it’s about time for us to move on.” Makoto gave him a weird look. He seemed eager to go investigate somewhere else… Why would he want to stop Makoto from conducting a thorough investigation at the scene? Was he  _ really  _ involved in this crime? 

Makoto reluctantly nodded and followed Togami out of the locker room. Instead of heading off to another location like Makoto assumed they would, Togami just made his way over to the corner of the small waiting area outside the locker rooms. He stood there and stared at Makoto, almost as if he was waiting for Makoto to figure something out. He really was weird sometimes. 

Something told Makoto that the boy's locker room would be an important place to check, but when he was about to go in, Togami stopped him. “That isn’t even the crime scene, idiot.” Makoto huffed. Did he have to be so difficult? Well, he supposed that he could always check later. For the time being, Makoto examined the card readers. It was common sense to assume that the killer was female because of the rule Monokuma had implemented the other day… but there could possibly be a loophole. If lending someone else your handbook was against the rules, then would taking someone else's handbook without permission also fall under the same rule? Or, maybe, it was possible to borrow a dead student's handbook. Although, that would only be possible if you were able to find one. 

“What are you staring at it for? If you have a problem with the card reader, talk to Monokuma.” Togami snapped. Suddenly, Togami clapped his hands twice and called for the two-toned bear. 

“Did ya’ call me?” Monokuma sang.

Makoto quirked a brow. Did Togami have him domesticated?

“Um, Monokuma? I was just wondering, the rule regarding the card readers states that loaning someone your handbook isn’t allowed, right?”

“Yep!”

“So, what if you borrowed one- took it without their permission? Or perhaps took the handbook of a dead student? Would that still violate the rule?”

The bear laughed. “I’m surprised you figured out the loophole!” Makoto nodded. So that meant that anyone could have murdered Fujisaki… Then, Monokuma disappeared. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: CARD READER**

Togami made his way over to Makoto, a surprised expression on his face. “I’m surprised you caught the loophole…” He shook his head and his face returned to its usual guarded expression. “Anyways, I suggest that we head to the main hall next.” Without waiting for Makoto, Togami left the room.

Makoto quickly followed him, and soon they were in the main hall. It didn’t seem like Togami was willing to give him any hints, so he just investigated on his own, Togami following close behind. There wasn't much of note, but he did find a mailbox in the corner of the room. When he opened it he found three e-handbooks. He picked up one of them and powered it on. It was Maizono’s handbook. That would mean that it would be possible for someone to get into the girl's locker room that otherwise wouldn’t be able to. He checked the other two handbooks, one of them belonged to Enoshima, and the other was broken. It must be Kuwata’s handbook.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MAIN HALL E-HANDBOOK**
> 
> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: BROKEN E-HANDBOOK**

“I found these by chance the other day,” Togami started. “I also noticed that Kuwata’s handbook was broken. Although, after the punishment he suffered, it makes sense that it would be broken.”

Out of nowhere, Monokuma popped up. “Nope, nope, nope! You think that one of _ my  _ handbooks would break that easily!? Those handbooks are practically indestructible! Well, except for that certain weakness… But, you can’t expect everything to be flawless, can you? That’s not the only problem though… Let’s just say that I don’t believe that Kuwata’s handbook is broken…” Then, Monokuma abruptly disappeared. 

What did he mean? If it wasn’t Kuwata’s handbook that was broken, then who’s was? And how was it broken? Monokuma mentioned that the handbooks had one weakness, but it seemed that no one knew what it was. Although, it was possible that someone discovered it by accident…

Togami huffed. “I don’t think that we should be focusing on this. It doesn’t seem relevant to the case. We need to find the culprit...” 

Suddenly, Asahina burst into the room. “Hey, guys! Can you come with me? I need your help!”

Togami rolled his eyes. “Go away. We’re busy.”

“But it’s an  _ emergency! _ ”

Makoto sighed. “What do you need Asahina?”

“There’s something wrong with Fukawa! She’s been acting really strange… I’m super worried!”

Togami hummed. “Since it’s Fukawa, I’m intrigued. I suppose that we can spare a moment to see what’s wrong with her.”

Makoto was confused. Why on earth would Togami want to see what was up with Fukawa? He was always so rude to her, so why would he want to see how she was doing? Or was that even why? What other reason would he want to see Fukawa for…?

The three of them made their way to Fukawa’s dorm. “So, what is this emergency?” Togami asked. 

“Well, after what happened in the girl's locker room, we left Fukawa in her room so she could lay down. After a while, we came back to check on her. Ya’ know, see how she was doing. But when we did, it was weird. She refused to come out and she kept saying all of this weird stuff.”

Togami nodded. “We should try talking to her ourselves.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Makoto stepped in front of Fukawa’s dorm room and rang the doorbell. After some hesitation, the door creaked open a few inches. He peered through the opening and spotted a nervous Fukawa. “W-what…?” Fukawa stuttered. Makoto put on his softest smile, attempting to comfort the shaking girl. “Oh… it’s just that Asahina was really worried about you, holing yourself up in your room like that.”

“L-leave me alone…”

Makoto frowned. They were only trying to help her. “Uh, yeah, sure thing. But… could you just open up for a second?”

“W-won’t allow it…”

Makoto quirked an eyebrow. Fukawa began speaking again, seemingly oblivious to Makoto’s growing worry. “I w-won’t let Genocide Jack have control!” Just like that, Fukawa closed the door. Makoto stepped back a bit. What did she mean? The only reason that she would have to word her sentence like that would be… No. It  _ couldn’t _ be.

“She’s been acting like that the whole time. When I rang a little while ago she said,  _ ‘I’ll drive out the killer, I’ll drive out the murderous fiend.’ _ It doesn’t make any sense, right? I was afraid to leave her there alone, so I tried to bust down her door, but it felt like something was holding it shut on the other side. I couldn’t even get it to budge.”

Now, Makoto was starting to believe that his theory was true. Fukawa was mostly likely the real Genocide Jack. But, if she was, did that really mean that she was the one who committed this crime?

Asahina looked at Fukawa’s door with a worried expression on her face. “Whatever it is, I’m really worried about her…”

Makoto wondered who would be able to persuade her to come out and talk to them... Then, it hit him. Makoto turned to look at Togami. The boy raised an eyebrow at him, seemingly confused as to why Makoto was staring at him with an almost proud look on his face. “Togami? Can you try to talk to Fukawa? I think that she’ll listen to you.” Togami scoffed but gave it some thought. After a few moments, he nodded. “Sure, whatever.”

“You’re really going to talk to her Togami? Huh, I guess you can be nice when you want to!”

Togami ignored Asahina’s statement and walked over to Fukawa’s door. He pressed the doorbell, and after a few seconds, the door opened again. Fukawa immediately dismissed them. “L-leave me alone, you’re all s-so annoying… Ah, Togami!” She paused for a moment before continuing. “I-I’m sorry I couldn’t keep our promise, but don’t w-worry. Never again… I-I won’t let Genocide Jack have control ever again!” Then, Fukawa shut the door. 

Asahina opened her mouth to say something, but Togami beat her to it. “There’s nothing else we can do. Let’s get back to the investigation.” Togami had already started to walk off. Makoto bid Asahina goodbye and followed swiftly after him. He needed to question Togami about whatever Fukawa had said to him. Apparently she had promised him something? Maybe it had something to do with Genocide Jack. 

“Hey, Togami? What was Fukawa talking about back there? She said she broke a promise?” Togami huffed. “I have no idea. Another one of her delusions, I’m sure.” Makoto just stared at him for a moment. He didn’t believe Togami. He decided to drop it though. He would probably find out later. 

He realized that Togami was guiding them both to the second floor. “So, where are we going?”

“I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it already, but I believe that Genocide Jack is living among us. In fact, I think that they were the one who committed this particular murder. We are going to a place that will give you all the clues you need about who exactly is the real Genocide Jack.” Makoto nodded. He already had a pretty good idea who it was. What Fukawa said had nearly confirmed his suspicions. Although he could just chalk it up to bad wording, would the Ultimate Writing Prodigy word things incorrectly? It’s unlikely. Although, he supposed that whatever Togami had to show him would help him find out for sure if Fukawa was  _ actually _ a serial killer. 

Suddenly, Makoto realized that they were approaching the library. There must be some sort of book on the Genocide Jack murders there. He couldn’t think of any other reason why Togami would take him there. Makoto swung the doors open and entered the library. 

Upon entry, Makoto scanned the room. He wasn't sure exactly where he was supposed to go, but he had a feeling that he was meant to enter the room at the back of the library. He was pretty sure that it was an archive of different government files and cold cases. He headed over to the door and walked in. Togami didn’t seem to protest, so he must’ve guessed correctly. Once they were both inside, Makoto took to exploring the shelves. The first one seemed to be filled with cold case files. He went to reach for one when Togami stopped him. “If you’re thinking of taking a look, I’ll give you a warning. Those things are filled with graphic and disturbing photos from all kinds of crime scenes. They’re investigation reports related to different cold cases. Those are internal documents- not the kind you’d expect to leak.” Togami must’ve thought that this would deter him, but it didn’t- to the dismay of Togami. He just went ahead and picked it up anyways, skimming through the pages. The photos weren’t particularly grotesque to him, but he was sure that his judgment didn’t count, considering his profession. 

He moved onto the next shelf and as if he’d learned his lesson, Togami warned Makoto before he even had the chance to discover just _ what _ this shelf was filled with. “Those documents are… dangerous. That shelf is detailed with information on people who control the world from behind the scenes. That’s a dangerous truth for a commoner like you. If you’re ready to disappear for it, go ahead and take a look.” Makoto just stared blankly at Togami. He knew full well that reading something like this could get him into a lot of trouble, but people tended to avoid attempting to kill him. It wouldn’t end well for anyone. With that in mind, he picked one of the flies up and began to read. It was fascinating, really. You would be surprised about how many people are hidden from society, yet have the most important roles. He even thought he might’ve worked for that person before…

He moved on to the next shelf, and before Togami could issue another warning, he picked up another file. “You have a sharp eye, indeed.” Togami started. “That’s a report on a presidential assassination. The original is kept at the national library. It won’t be declassified for at least another thirty years. Are you sure you want to take a look at it now? There’s no telling what crosshairs you might wind up in for peeking at it...” Makoto looked Togami dead in the eyes, his face completely blank, and opened the file. To say the least, Togami looked a little shocked. Makoto had completely ignored every one of his warnings. 

Once Makoto was done looking at classified files that were sure to paint a  _ big red target _ on his back, he examined the many things that littered the ground. One of which was an empty box. Togami noticed what Makoto was looking at, and decided to tell him about it. “That is where I found the lamp and extension cord that I’ve been using.” Makoto nodded. There was also something else that he wanted to know.

“So, are all of these files genuine?”

Togami stared down at Makoto. “I’ve reviewed these files many times. I can confirm that they are.” Makoto nodded. For as powerful as the Togami corporation was, it was no wonder that they would have access to so much classified information. Then, Togami walked over to the cold case files and pulled one out. “You know, what always interested me were the ‘cold case’ police investigation reports. Reading those reports has always been a hobby of mine, ever since I was little. It’s an excellent mental exercise. I’ve solved more than a few of those cases just by reviewing those reports. One of my recent favorites is the Genocide Jack case. This is the complete case file.” He pushed the case file into Makoto’s hands. “Feel free to look at it, but you can’t take it with you.” Makoto cracked open the file.

“Every single report surrounding the case is compiled here. Since there are so many, allow me to quickly summarize the main points.” Togami started. “To begin, there are two notable characteristics in every Genocide Jack murder. The first characteristic is that the words ‘bloodlust’ are written in the victim's own blood. And the second is that the victims are suspended in a certain way every time.” Makoto stared down at the case file as he took in Togami’s words. That certainly was similar to how Fujisaki was murdered, but it  _ was _ different in some ways. First of all, even if his theory was correct, everyone  _ thought _ that Fujisaki was a girl- and another common characteristic of the murders was that every victim seemed to be male. Also, the method of murder was different. None of Genocide Jack’s victims were killed by a blow to the head. They were all killed using pairs of scissors. That  _ could _ be chalked up to the fact that maybe, the culprit couldn’t find a pair of scissors, but Genocide Jack seemed like a very particular killer. Their crimes were the same every time. Clearly, they would rather kill the same way each time, or not kill at all. 

Togami continued talking. “Although, for the second characteristic, the only ones who knew about that particular fact were members of the police force and other higher-ups. By all accounts, nobody in the media ever found out. Only the key officials and the killer himself knew about the act of ‘mounting’ the victim. Now, if you recall Fujisaki’s corpse, she was certainly mounted in this fashion.” Makoto understood what he meant. That was his reasoning to believe that the real Genocide Jack was the one who murdered Fujisaki. But, for some odd reason, Makoto didn’t really believe that. This was all too strange. If the real Genocide Jack did kill Fujisaki, they had given themselves away! He didn’t believe for a second that a clearly intelligent serial killer would do something as idiotic as that. Genocide Jack had yet to be caught by the police, which was obviously a show of intelligence. Why would someone like that throw their life away for no reason?

Togami went to stand beside Makoto and looked at the case file with him. He flipped to a page near the front of the file and pointed to a paragraph. 

_ All of the crimes took place either on weekdays at night or during holidays, either day or night. The most common time for the killings to take place was on holidays, in the afternoon. Based on these facts, it could be suggested that the suspect may be a student. Evidence suggests that the suspect lingered at the scene, but when they did leave, they were in a panic. Because an eyewitness has never come forwards, there is most likely an external reason for this. This confused behavior suggests that the suspect may potentially suffer from dissociative identity disorder. _

Makoto read the paragraph once more. It was becoming even more plausible that Fukawa was the real Genocide Jack. Since the suspect could be a student, that could certainly point to her, but there was another reason. Earlier, when everyone was gathered in the locker room, Fukawa had collapsed. When she woke up, it was almost as if she was a different person. He was beginning to think that he was right about this… But was Fukawa  _ actually _ the culprit? 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: GENOCIDE JACK CASE FILE**

“Alright, we should get going.” Without waiting for Makoto’s answer, Togami had already made his way to the exit. Makoto set down the case file, and followed him out of the archive. When they left the library, Togami stopped for a moment. He turned to Makoto. “Well, this is where we part ways. I have some things to take care of before the class trial. Goodbye.” Before Makoto could let him walk off, he grabbed Togami’s arm in a vice grip. The boy froze. “Wait. I just wanted to say one more thing before you go.” Seemingly unruffled, Togami huffed. “Get on with it then.” Makoto kept his grip on Togami’s arm and stared up at him. This was his chance to voice all of his suspicions. 

“Look. I have no idea what kind of involvement you have in this crime, but I  _ know _ you did something. I know how hard you’ve been trying to hide it, but you didn’t even consider that  _ maybe _ I’d be a little suspicious that you wanted to investigate with me? You’ve been practically spoon-feeding me information. Basically, I just wanted to let you know that I’m onto you. Whatever you did, I’m going to figure it out.” Togami’s eyes widened a hair. Makoto released his arm and smiled sweetly at him. “See you at the trial Togami!” The boy visibly swallowed, before spinning on his heel and briskly walking away. 

Makoto wasted no time walking off and headed back to the pool area. He wanted to investigate there once more before the trial started, just in case he missed anything. Once he entered the waiting area, he spotted Yamada. When he walked over to him, he told Makoto that he had discovered something important to the case, but he wouldn’t say what. He also mentioned that Celeste had apparently found a clue in the warehouse. He would have to go talk to her later. 

Next, Makoto walked back into the girls locker room. He took another look at the crime scene and noticed two clues that he hadn’t seen before. The first clue was a bloody poster of a swimsuit model. It seemed out of place. Why would there be a poster like that in the girls locker room? The other thing he noticed was what Fujisaki was hung with. Instead of a kind of rope, like he originally thought, she was actually hung by an extension cord. It seemed like it was the same one that Togami had been using. He would have to check the library again to be sure, though. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY**

He turned to his left and noticed that Kirigiri was investigating something nearby. He walked over to her. “How’s your investigation going?” He asked. “It’s going well.” She started. “Although, I have to go check on something unrelated before the class trial. Before I leave, here is something to think about. Fujisaki’s handbook is missing. If you can find out what happened to it, you may be able to solve this case.” And with that, Kirigiri walked off. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: FUJISAKI’S E-HANDBOOK**

Not long after, Makoto also departed from the locker room to head to the one next door. There were a couple things that he noticed. First of all, there was a poster on the wall, just like the girls' locker room, except that this poster was of a popular boy band. Similarly to the poster in the girl’s locker room, it didn’t seem like the kind of poster you’d find in there. It was almost as if they had been switched… but if they were, that would mean that Fujisaki was probably killed in the boy's locker room…

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: TWO LOCKER ROOM POSTERS**

The second thing that he noticed was a blackish stain in the corner of the carpet. He wondered where it came from… He might need to ask someone who knew more about the locker rooms to confirm if the posters were switched or not. He might also be able to find out where that stain came from.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: BOY LOCKER ROOM CARPET**

Finished with investigating the room, he headed back over to the crime scene. It seemed that Ogami knew quite a bit about the locker rooms. If she had any valuable information, he wanted to know it. When he asked her about the posters, she said that she didn’t remember what the posters had looked like whenever she trained. She also mentioned that the other day she spilled some of her ‘protein coffee’ on the carpet, but the stain had seemingly disappeared. If the stain was caused by Ogami, then the posters _ and _ the carpets must’ve been switched. But why…?

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: DISAPPEARING STAIN**

Makoto left the crime scene and went back to the library. He quickly checked the room and found that the lamp Togami had been using wasn’t plugged into the wall. The cord was too short, and whatever extension cord he had been using was missing. So Fujisaki really was tied up with Togami’s extension cord? That only added to his suspicions. Maybe Togami really did have a role in this crime… He knew that anyone was capable of murder- he knew it all too well, but for some reason, he didn’t want to believe that Togami was the culprit. He supposed that they would all know in due time. Before he left, he quickly entered the archive to see if he could review the Genocide Jack case file once more. He searched as many places as he could think of but he never found it. Togami must’ve taken it… 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: LIBRARY DESK LAMP**

As he left the library, Makoto remembered what Yamada told him earlier, and he set off to find Celeste. He made his way to the dormitories and walked up to the warehouse. Inside, he found Celeste inspecting some objects on a shelf. He asked her if she knew about anything. “I knew you were going to ask me that,” She paused for a moment, most likely decided whether or not to tell Makoto about whatever she knew. 

“Very well, I will tell you, and only you. Last night I saw her here… I saw Fujisaki in the warehouse. This was right before nighttime. I asked her what she was doing out so late, although one could easily infer what she was planning. She was holding a duffel bag, and peeking out of the opening was a blue tracksuit. She was planning to go exercise. After we exchanged a few words, she stuffed the tracksuit back into her bag and walked off. It was almost as if she was trying to hide it… I assumed that she was just stocking up to exercise in the morning, but it would appear that she ignored the nighttime rule and headed directly to the girl's locker room. If she hadn’t broken our rule, none of this would’ve happened. You get what you deserve, I suppose.”

So Ogami was right. Fujisaki went to the locker room of her own volition. But, which one did she actually go to…?

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: CELESTE’S ACCOUNT**

Makoto said his goodbyes to Celeste and thanked her for sharing the information. At this point, he couldn’t think of any other places that he needed to investigate, so he headed to the dining hall, hoping to catch someone he hadn’t spoken to yet and ask for their testimony. When he arrived, he spotted Asahina. When he talked to her, he found out that she was just taking a small break and would return to check on Fukawa later. He asked her if she had anything to say about either Fujisaki or the case, and she only repeated what Ogami had said earlier. She said that Fujisaki seemed to avoid all of the girls, but she seemed to have no problems hanging out with the boys. Makoto thought that he knew why…

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: ASAHINA’S ACCOUNT**

Not long after he had spoken to Asahina, the nearby monitor flickered on. “Um, so, I’m getting tired of waiting. Shall we just plunge right in? It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for… It’s time for the class trial! You remember where to meet, right? Please go to the red door on the first floor of the school!” The bear let out a shrill laugh. “See you soon!” Then, the monitor shut off. Makoto sighed. It was finally time to solve the mystery…

Makoto walked out of the dining hall with Asahina, and they headed to the red door. They walked inside and were greeted with the sight of their many classmates. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Togami- and Togami was staring right back. They locked eyes for a moment. Makoto wondered what Togami did, and why he was acting so strange. He was sure he would have an answer to both of those questions by the end of the trial. Suddenly, Monokuma appeared and told them to board the elevator. Makoto took a deep breath in and stepped inside. Once the last person boarded, the elevator began to descend, until it finally came to a stop. The doors opened and Makoto and his classmates filed out, walking over to their designated podiums. 

Once everyone had settled into their spots, Monokuma began to speak. “What do you think? I redecorated! Isn’t it so fresh- so exciting!” Togami scoffed. “Don’t waste our time with stupid questions. Let’s get this over with.” Monokuma laughed. “Good, good, you’re rip-raring to go! Gotta’ say I don’t hate it! I don’t hate it at all! Okay then, let’s get this show on the road!” 

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: IN SESSION!>>**

Monokuma began to explain the rules of the class trial to refresh everyone’s memories. Once he had reviewed all of the rules, he proposed the first topic. “The first thing that we’re going to be talking about is the murder weapon!”

“The Monokuma File says that she was hit over the head with a blunt object…” Ishimaru started. 

Hagakure nodded. “In that case, I’m sure she was hit with an iron pipe or something.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: LOCKER ROOM DUMBBELL**

“No, that’s not it. The murder weapon had to be the dumbbell found at the scene. The end was covered in blood. It also seemed like the size of the wound and the end of the dumbbell were the same.” Makoto supplied. 

A few people grimaced and voiced their revulsion that Makoto had gotten close enough to compare the wound and the dumbbell. Although, Kirigiri seemed impressed that he had noticed that detail. 

Suddenly, Togami’s voice cut through the chatter. “Allow me to proceed from here. Let’s move on to discussion of the culprit. Although, I believe that the criminal behind this heinous act is already quite clear. Fujisaki’s killer is Genocide Jack. 

Asahina looked at Togami as if he had two heads. “But that’s impossible!”

“And _ what  _ makes it so impossible?”

“Well, I mean  _ come on _ … There’s just no proof!”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: GENOCIDE JACK CASE FILE**

Makoto turned to Asahina. She was wrong, there was definitely proof. But, would it  _ really  _ point to the true culprit…? “Not necessarily. In the archive, there is a complete case file on the Genocide Jack murders.”

“More importantly, it outlines all the specifics of every Genocide Jack case in exceeding detail.” Togami began. “According to the file, there appear to be two defining characteristics in every Genocide Jack case. The first is that a bloody message is found at the scene of every murder.”

“That’s right! Booblust!” Yamada bellowed.

Asahina shook her head in exasperation. “Um, actually, it’s _ bloodlust _ .”

Togami ignored them and continued on. “But what’s more important is the other characteristic- and it’s something that has never been made public. Why don’t you tell them, Naegi?”

Makoto nodded reluctantly. “It’s regarding the way that the victim is positioned. Apparently, in every Genocide Jack case, the victim is suspended in a certain way- similar to crucifixion. Other than the killer, the only people who know about this are the higher-ups in the police department.”

“However, Fujisaki was most definitely suspended in the same way,” Togami stated. And, sure, he was  _ almost _ right. But there  _ was _ that one crucial difference. Silly of him to think that Makoto wouldn’t catch it. 

Celeste leaned over her podium and stared at Togami “So, you’re saying that you think the real Genocide Jack is living among us?”

“Yes. In fact, it’s Fukawa. The real identity of Genocide Jack is Fukawa Toko.”

“W-w-what!?” Fukawa screeched.

Asahina gave Togami another confused look. “That’s not possible- Fukawa has blood phobia or whatever, remember? What kind of killer is afraid of blood!?”

“Well, you see, she both is and isn’t Genocide Jack…” Togami exclaimed enigmatically.

Everyone in the circle stared at him. They must’ve thought he was crazy. Luckily, Makoto caught on to what he was trying to say. “What he means is that Fukawa most likely has dissociative identity disorder. It was mentioned in the case file- they suspected that Genocide Jack suffered from it.”

“How she was acting earlier is proof enough.” Togami said. “After she fainted, her personality changed.”

Ishimaru nodded. “Yeah… that melancholy tone of hers disappeared completely!”

“D-don’t go assigning adjectives to my tone without permission…” Fukawa stuttered. 

“So, when Fukawa was locked in her room, she was just scared that Genocide Jack would take over again...?” Asahina asked.

“Precisely. She wasn’t locked in her room to keep Genocide Jack from getting in, she was trying to keep her other personality from getting out.”

“H-h-how…?” Fukawa shuddered.

Asahina stared at Togami for a moment. “Yeah... how can you know all of this?”

“I do believe you misunderstood her. What she’s trying to say isn’t ‘how can you know all of this?’ What she wants to know is ‘how could you tell them?’ Last night, before Monokuma gave his motive speech, Fukawa and I had a strange conversation. She told me that a murderous fiend lived inside of her, and that she was afraid it could appear and attack at any time. Isn’t that right, Fukawa?”

Fukawa was at a loss for words. After a few seconds though, she finally gathered her bearings. “Y-you said you wouldn’t t-tell anyone…! Y-you promised! I can’t b-believe you lied!”

Togami glared at her. “You only have yourself to blame- you came to  _ me _ with your tragic little story. I didn’t ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale. Besides, you broke your promise first. You said that as long as you were here, no matter what, you wouldn’t let Genocide Jack kill anyone.”

Fukawa looked towards the ground, panicked. “You said that if I k-kept my promise… You would g-go out with me!”

Togami scoffed. “How many times do I have to tell you? I never said that. But you weren’t able to do it, were you? You just couldn't resist the rush of killing.”

“I-I tried… I swear I t-tried to control it…!”

“But your efforts were useless. What a disappointment.”

All Makoto could do was watch the scene unfold before him. He was more shocked than he should've been… As vocal as Togami was about his plans to ‘win’ the killing game, Makoto wanted to think the best of him. He wanted to think the best of everyone. But clearly, his optimistic attitude was incorrect. He didn’t want to believe that Togami would stoop that low, but it was happening right in front of him… and Makoto  _ knew _ that there was something else to this case. Togami was trying to paint a picture that was quite clearly false- at least to him. He would need more evidence to make the others see it too…

“Well the opening act is nearly finished.” Togami began. “All that’s left now is to hear it from the person directly.”

Fukawa shivered. “Y- y-you don’t m-m-m-mean…?” Suddenly, Fukawa jerked back and fell to the ground. In a similar fashion to what happened earlier, as soon as she hit the ground, she sprung right back up. “Well hello there! Is it me you were hoping to see!?”

Yamada jumped back a bit. “W-what the heck!?”

“So you figured it out, huh? Well, whatever. What’re ya’ going to do!? I’m the Ultimate Murderous Feind, Genocide Jack! Or better yet, let’s go with Genocide Jill!”

“What the fuck is this!?” Owada yelled.

Ishimaru gave Jill a confused look. “Fukawa… What happened to you?”

“Not Fukawa! That’s a loser name! And what happened is a textbook split personality! So what if one of them turns out to be a serial killer!? You should turn a blind eye to one’s faults!” Jill cackled. “Like they say, sound in murderous mind, sound in murderous body!”

“This one is so different from the one we’ve come to know…” Ogami stated. 

“Yes, well, the world is composed of a front and back you know. Just like how every inning has a top and a bottom, or how in the depths of every truth lives a little lie…. Behind every dark and gloomy soul, lives another who shines as bright as the sun!” Jill laughed. 

“This should be enough to convince you.  _ She _ is responsible for Fujisaki’s death.” Togami accused. “There’s clearly a motive, so there should be no doubt.”

Jill crossed her arms. “Yes, I get it, I get it, I get it… but sorry! As much as I hate to admit it- I’m not the culprit!” 

Celeste put a hand over her mouth. “But I can’t imagine anyone other than you could murder in such a bizarre fashion…”

“Maybe so, maybe so, but nevertheless- it’s the truth!”

“Do you really expect any of us to believe you…?”

Makoto sighed. He supposed that it was on him to confirm that Jill wasn’t the culprit. He had enough evidence to do so, but would they even believe him? She  _ was _ a serial killer, after all…

“Actually, I don’t think that she’s the culprit.” Makoto stated.

Togami looked at him like he was crazy. “But, if you compare her previous crimes to this one, the modus operandi matches completely.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: STATUS OF THE BODY**

Makoto frowned. “No, it doesn’t. There are a few crucial differences. First of all, the cause of death is different. In every Genocide Jack case, the victim was stabbed to death by many pairs of scissors. Fujisaki was hit over the head with a dumbbell. Second of all, the way that Fujisaki was mounted is different too. Genocide Jack’s victims were crucified using the same razor-sharp scissors used to kill them.”

Jill cackled. “That’s right, Big Mac! I murder with passion and conviction! I consider myself a professional, and have a very particular way of doing things! I use my own specially designed scissors for the murder  _ and _ the arrangement! What happened to Fujisaki… that is no creation of mine! And, and, and, and,  _ and! _ You know what else!? There’s another difference too! If you figure that out, it’ll be plain as death why I couldn’t have possibly killed that loli girl!”

Makoto nodded. He had noticed the pattern earlier while looking through the case file. “It’s because Fujisaki is a girl.” Or, at least they all _ thought _ that Fujisaki was a girl. 

“Bingo! Bull’s eye! Right on the money! The people I kill with such passion and conviction… are all adorable little men! Kyaah! I can’t believe I said it! I’m so embarrassed!”

Mondo stared at her, shocked. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

“I can’t help it! I’m just a full-throttle boy on boy fangirl! And the mopey side of me just  _ hates _ it!”

Togami huffed. “We get it. You’ve clearly explained your hobby and philosophy. But that’s not all there is to it. It’s a different matter entirely, when you’re forced to kill to  _ survive _ .”

Jill glared at Togami menacingly. “You think that I would kill for such a petty reason!? I would  _ never _ kill to survive- and even if I did, why would I bother with the message and the setup!? It would make me the main suspect! Besides, whatever reason I have for killing, I would never leave out my precious scissors!”

“But, what if you couldn’t find any scissors around the school?” Yamada supplied.

“ _ Any scissors!? _ Why would I use any old scissors when I have my precious babies right here!” Suddenly, Jill pulled multiple pairs of scissors out from under her skirt. She twirled them around her fingers. “See! I’m fully equipped! I can kill anywhere, any time! Why would I resort to dumbbells or rope when I have my trusty scissors by my side! Also, I can’t tie a very good knot. Rope is out of the question!”

“Well, the body was suspended in a similar way, right? How did the killer know about it then?” Owada asked. 

Makoto turned towards Togami. He looked him right in the eyes and began to speak. “Togami knew. He was the one who showed me the case file earlier- he even admitted that he had reviewed it many times, even before Fujisaki died. ”

Everyone voiced their agreement. Although, Makoto  _ still  _ wasn’t one hundred percent sure that Togami was the culprit…

“So he rearranged the scene to disguise it and make it look like I’d put my stamp on it…! The adorable glasses man was behind it all!? Ahh, I’m on fire!” Jill swooned. 

Togami sighed. “So now the suspicion falls on me? Then I must ask, when exactly was I acting so suspicious? Surely you have an answer.”

Makoto furrowed his brows. He had many examples… “Well, I would say you were acting suspiciously before we found the body. We were outside of the locker rooms, and you immediately suggested that we search the girl's locker room…”

“Are you trying to say that I should’ve thought to search the boy's locker room instead? The victim was a girl. Therefore, I thought we should first search the girl's locker room.” Togami huffed. Makoto’s frown deepened. Did Togami realize that he was just digging his own grave?

“Togami… At that point, we had no idea who the victim was.”

“Hmm. I suppose that’s an acceptable answer, but I wish that your ‘evidence’ wasn’t so weak. Give us more proof.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. Why would he want more proof of  _ his  _ guilt? It didn’t make any sense. Maybe Makoto  _ was  _ right about him- maybe he  _ wasn’t _ the culprit…

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: LIBRARY DESK LAMP**

“Well, the rope that Fujisaki was hung with  _ wasn’t  _ actually rope. It was an extension cord. The same one that Togami had been using in the library.” Makoto paused for a moment. “But, honestly, all of this evidence is too… overt.” He looked over at Togami. “You purposefully used something that would tie you to the crime. I refuse to believe that you wouldn’t catch that- you’re too intelligent. Yes, I think it is true that you were the one who tried to frame Fukawa, but you’re not responsible for Fujisaki’s death, are you?”

“Hmm? You  _ don’t _ think I’m responsible for her death? I think that it’s very obvious- I killed Fujisaki in the girl's locker room, strung her up, and framed Fukawa.”

Makoto frowned. Something that he just said wasn’t sitting right with him… “Hmm. You said you killed Fujisaki in the girl's locker room, right? Are you  _ sure? _ ”

Togami’s eyebrows snapped down, and his lips pulled into a tight line. Did Makoto just catch him off guard? “What is that supposed to mean? That’s awfully specific- you _ must _ have a reason to say that, right? Come on now. If you have any proof, then show it!”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: TWO LOCKER ROOM POSTERS**
> 
> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BOYS LOCKER ROOM CARPET**

“When I was investigating the crime scene, I found a blood-splattered poster of a big-breasted swimsuit model. It seemed out of place. It wasn’t something that you would find in a girl's locker room. Then, later on, while I was investigating the boy's locker room, I found a poster of a popular boy band. Again, it was quite out of place. This leads me to believe that the crime scene was moved from the boy's locker room to the girl's locker room. I also noticed something else. Earlier on, Ogami told me that she had spilled some of her protein coffee on the carpet in the girl's locker room, although, when we were in there today, the stain was gone. However, I found a blackish stain on the carpet in the boys locker room.”

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “If what you are saying is true, then why would the killer do this? And how would Fujisaki have gotten into the boy's locker room?”

Makoto grimaced. He didn’t want to talk about it- mostly because of the, frankly obscene way he found out- but he supposed that he needed to say it so that the debate could move along. “I’m not sure why the killer would’ve switched the crime scene but… well, you see, Fujisaki wasn’t  _ actually  _ a girl. He was a boy.” Makoto’s gaze traveled around the circle as he took in the shocked faces of his classmates. 

Hagakure stared at Makoto with raised eyebrows. “But, how do you know that?”

A faint blush crossed Makoto’s features. “I, ah- I happened to, um, discover it while I was examining his body.” Hagakure’s eyes widened and he nodded awkwardly. 

Monokuma turned his head to the side innocently. “Wha-wha-what? You didn’t know that? I’ve known all along!” The bear laughed.

Kirigiri nodded at Makoto. “I also happened to discover this fact while investigating. He’s telling the truth.”

“That most likely means that the culprit was male,” Makoto said.

Yamada turned towards him, confused. “But, if they were male, then how could they get into the girl's locker room?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MAIN HALL E-HANDBOOK**

“That’s simple. In the main hall, there is a mailbox that contains the e-handbooks of dead students. There are three in there right now- Maizono’s, Enoshima’s, and Kuwata’s. Although, Kuwata’s is broken.”

Celeste leaned over her podium and stared at Makoto. “Even so, wouldn’t using someone else's handbook violate one of the rules?”

Monokuma chuckled. “Nope! The rule can only get people who use another student's handbook- and as far as I’m concerned, dead people  _ aren’t _ students! It’s a grey area really, but if there wasn’t a loophole, then things wouldn’t be as exciting!”

Asahina shook her head. “Well, that doesn’t matter! Togami could still be the culprit!”

“No,” Makoto began. “I don’t think that he is. The way that he’s been acting is proof itself. It seems like he’s enjoying us solving the mystery, it’s almost as if the outcome doesn’t concern him at all- like it has nothing to do with him. Also, he was clearly surprised when I proposed the idea that the scene of the crime was moved. If he was the real culprit, he would’ve already known.”

Togami smirked. “He’s correct. I’m not actually the killer. I just came across the body and decided to alter it.” Togami stated. A few people voiced their protest, exclaiming that they didn’t believe him. 

“If you weren’t the culprit, then why would you do something so awful to Fujisaki’s body!?” Asahina asked. 

“My reasoning doesn’t matter right now. Finding the culprit is what we should be focusing on.” 

Makoto nodded. “I think that we should explore all possibilities before we reach a verdict. Our lives are on the line.”

“Well, what else do we have to discuss? If anyone has another piece of evidence, then sharing it would be helpful. Or, if anyone happened to see Fujisaki before his murder, they should come forward. Any information would be useful.” Ogami suggested.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: CELESTE’S ACCOUNT**

Makoto remembered what Celeste had told him earlier. “Actually, I know someone who saw him last night. Celeste, care to tell them what you told me?”

She nodded. “Very well. Last night, right before nighttime, I saw Fujisaki in the warehouse. He was carrying a duffel bag, and I noticed that a tracksuit was peeking out of the opening. I assumed that he was going to go and exercise. We didn’t exchange many words though- but, Fujisaki mentioned that he was in a hurry. It’s quite strange though, don’t you think? If he was in a hurry then someone must’ve been waiting for him.”

Ogami spoke up again. “So, you think that there might’ve been someone waiting for him? Then, they must be the culprit.”

Makoto thought for a moment. He wondered what to say next. There must be a connection between what Celeste witnessed, and Fujisaki’s killer- but what was it? “Celeste, do you think that there might be some sort of connection between the culprit and the tracksuit?” 

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “You think that the key to solving this case is evidence that we don’t have?”

Asahina furrowed her eyebrows in thought. “Well, would there be anything special about the specific tracksuit that Fujisaki chose? I remember that there was a variety of different colored tracksuits in the warehouse…”

Well, it was always a possibility that Fujisaki chose the tracksuit that he did because it matched the culprits. It was a little far-fetched, he had to admit, but it was their only lead. Although, he didn’t have to be right about that. Maybe there was a way to cause the killer to slip up. If he could somehow manipulate them into saying… the color? Celeste had yet to mention the color of the tracksuit- so if he could somehow get the killer to acknowledge the color, then this would be over. 

“I think we should talk about that.” Makoto started. Though, he didn’t think that alone would drive the culprit into a corner… he needed something else. “We need to focus on why Fujisaki chose that specific tracksuit. When that is clear, then it will lead us to the culprit. Although, I’m already sure who they are.”

“Seriously!? Who is it!? Who is the killer!?” Owada yelled. Makoto frowned. He was  _ mostly _ bluffing but he _ did _ have a theory…

Kirigiri looked over at Makoto and smirked. “I agree with Naegi. If we focus on that detail, then the identity of the culprit will be clear.”

“Hmm.” Ishimaru started. “I think I’ve got it! Fujisaki chose his tracksuit because it matched the one the killer was wearing!”

Owada nodded. “So what you're saying is, the killer was wearing the same blue tracksuit as him?”

Makoto froze.  _ What _ did he just say? Was his theory turning out to be true…? “Owada… Celeste never mentioned the color of the tracksuit.” He turned to Celeste. “Was the tracksuit  _ actually _ blue…?”

Celeste covered her mouth with her hand. “Why, yes, it was.”

“Did you tell anyone else about what you saw?” Makoto asked.

“Only you.”

Makoto frowned. That wasn’t the only evidence against Owada…

Ishimaru looked panicked. “W-well I’m sure he just came across it during the investigation!”

Kirigiri frowned at him. “That’s not possible. The culprit disposed of the evidence before we found the body.”

“The only way he could know what color it was is if he saw Cheerio before he died! So, did you see him!?” Jill questioned. 

“Y-yeah, I  _ did. _ ” Owada stuttered. “I just happened to run into him briefly last night. That's when I saw the tracksuit.”

Celeste giggled daintily. “But that is not possible. Fujisaki had already put the tracksuit back in the duffel bag he was carrying. You couldn’t have seen it.”

Abruptly, Togami shifted his gaze onto Makoto. “I see. You only wanted to discuss this to cause the culprit to have a slip of the tongue.”

Celeste smirked behind her hand. “That was also why you said you knew the culprit’s identity, correct? To drive them into a corner.” 

“Yes, that’s right. Although, I had been suspecting Owada for a while... because of something he said earlier.”

Kirigiri nodded at him. “You caught it too?” She turned back to the group. “I noticed that Owada tends to refer to girls and boys differently. He calls the boys ‘dude,’ and the girls ‘chick.’ But, earlier I noticed that he referred to Fujisaki as ‘dude.’ Since we can infer that the killer was aware of Fujisaki’s secret, that is quite damning, is it not?”

Owada stared at Kirigiri in shock. “I didn’t kill anyone!”

“Y-yeah! He would never do that!” Ishimaru affirmed. 

Yamada cleared his throat, a proud look settling on his face. “I have some more important evidence to share! Earlier, I located Fujisaki’s missing handbook. I found it lying on the ground. Although, it seems to be broken.”

“So the culprit broke it to get rid of the evidence…?” Celeste said. 

“I didn’t know that they were so fragile.” Togami stated.

“They aren’t!” Monokuma began. “They’re waterproof  _ and _ shock-resistant!”

Celeste leaned over her podium and stared at Monokuma. “But it’s clearly broken, similarly to Kuwata’s handbook in the main hall.”

Monokuma laughed. “Don’t you think that there’s a mystery in there? How did the handbook’s get broken?”

Makoto thought about it for a moment. He remembered what Monokuma had told him earlier. “They must’ve broken it by hitting its weak point.”

“But I never told anyone what it was!”

Kirigiri looked over at Monokuma. “Then what is the weakness? The trial won’t be fair unless we know what it is.”

“B-but what if someone follows the example…?”

Asahina huffed. “Why would we want to break our own handbooks?”

The bear sighed. “Fine. As long as you promise not to go around breaking my precious handbooks…” Monokuma’s mood abruptly changed, and the bear bounced back to his regular cheerful personality. “The weakness is high temperatures! If one of the handbooks is subjected to high enough temperatures, it’ll break!”

Makoto gasped. There was really no room for doubt. He knew someone who could’ve accidentally broken their handbook...

“I know who could’ve figured out the weakness. The other day, Owada and Ishimaru had some sort of endurance contest in the sauna. They forced me to watch them, for whatever reason, but I distinctly remember that Owada kept his uniform on. It’s possible that he had his handbook in one of his pockets, and it broke that way. After the fact, it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out why his handbook wasn’t working.”

Owada glared at Makoto. “My handbook is perfectly fine!”

Makoto furrowed his eyebrows. If Owada’s handbook really was broken, then why would Kuwata’s… oh.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BROKEN E-HANDBOOK**

“I got it! You switched your handbook for Kuwata’s, right? That’s why we found the broken handbook in the main hall. It wasn’t Kuwata’s, it was yours.”

Ishimaru looked between Owada and Makoto. “I-it isn’t true! It can’t be!”

Makoto sighed. “Then, how about we look at how this case played out one more time. After that, it should be clear to you.”

Makoto steeled himself. As much as he hated to cause Ishimaru the extra grief, it had to be done. 

> **< <CLOSING ARGUMENT!>>**

“Last night, before the incident, Celeste saw Fujisaki in the warehouse. At the time, he was apparently stuffing something into a duffel bag. That something was a blue tracksuit.”

“With the bag in hand, Fujisaki headed out, even though it was officially nighttime.”

“He made his way to the locker room. Specifically, the boy's locker room. But how could the victim, who we all were sure was a girl, access the boy's locker room? Simple. Because Fujisaki was _ actually _ a boy. Which is why he was able to use his own e-handbook to gain entrance to the boy's locker room.”

“Once inside, he met with someone there. The person that he met with was the one who killed him.”

“It seems likely that the killer grabbed the nearby dumbbell, approached the unsuspecting Fujisaki, and attacked him. And that’s where the bloodstains on the poster and the carpeting in the boys locker room came from.”

“It was likely in the heat of the moment the body was arranged, but the murder itself felt unplanned- which is why the killer hurried to try and hide the act. First, pulling up the bloodstained carpet, then removing the bloody poster, and finally carrying the corpse into the girls locker room.”

“A girl's handbook was necessary to get into the locker room, of course. But this alone doesn’t prove that the killer was necessarily a girl. After all, Maizono and Enoshima’s handbooks had been placed in the main hall. Using one of those, a boy could get into the girl's locker room without much trouble. And that’s exactly how the killer did it.”

“With the carpet and the poster they’d brought with them, they got to work. They changed the layout of the boys and girls locker room, in what you might call a crime scene switch.”

“That could’ve been the end of things, but Togami discovered the body and decided to intervene in the situation, making things even more complicated.”

“So, after stumbling upon the crime scene, he went and grabbed the extension cord from the library, and then _ he _ got to work. He used the cord to string up Fujisaki’s lifeless body. Then, using the victim's own blood, he left a grisly message there at the scene of the crime. He wanted to create the illusion that Genocide Jack was responsible for the slaughter.”

“And around the same time that Togami was putting together his facade, the killer, having already disposed of Fujisaki’s bag and other belongings, arrived at the sauna. There, they planned to destroy the last piece of evidence- Fujisaki’s handbook. And just like the killer expected, the steamy sauna was enough to ruin the handbook. Somehow, the killer knew that handbook couldn’t stand up to the heat of the sauna- and the reason they knew that is because the sauna had already wrecked their own handbook!”

“That’s how it all played out, isn’t that right, Owada Mondo!”

Ishimaru’s eyes welled up with tears. “N-no… you didn’t… You couldn’t have! If you just show us the handbook-”

“There’s no need for that. I did it. I killed Fujisaki.”

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: END!>>**

Owada stared at the ground. “Get on with it, Monokuma.” Ishimaru screeched and cried, begging and pleading for Owada to defend himself. Monokuma laughed. “Roger that! It’s time to vote! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?”

Makoto placed his vote. Soon, a large slot machine popped out of nowhere and it began to spin. Finally, it landed on three pictures of Owada’s face, with the word ‘guilty’ displayed in gold flashing letters.

“Aww, it looks like you’ve got it right again. The person who killed Fujisaki Chihiro was Owada Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader! Although, the vote wasn’t unanimous. Ishimaru voted for the wrong person! You better not do that again…”

“B-bro, why? Why!?”

Owada stayed silent. Monokuma cackled. “Since Owada is taking a vow of silence, allow me to explain why he did what he did!” Monokuma gave them all an in-depth speech about the backstories of both Fujisaki and Owada. The bear even went so far as to reveal Owada’s secret- that he was the cause of his brother’s death. Monkuma said that Fujisaki had come to Owada with his secret in hopes to get stronger so that he’d feel more comfortable if it was revealed. He came to Owada specifically because of his vows to keep all of his promises, and because he was the kind of person that Fujisaki wanted to be. Someone strong. But Fujisaki's desire to get stronger made Owada jealous. Owada was jealous of the strength that Fujisaki had for wanting to face his problems head-on. A strength that he never had. So that, combined with Monokuma’s motive, pushed him over the edge. Once Monokuma was finished explaining things, Kirigiri spoke up. 

“So, the real reason that you switched the crime scenes was to protect Fujisaki’s identity?” She asked Owada. He nodded. 

Ishimaru was still in hysterics, and the rest of them were trying to wrap their heads around what happened. Suddenly, Monokuma cackled. “Okay, since I’m done explaining the sob story, it’s time for what everyone has been waiting for! It’s punishment time!” Monokuma pulled a giant mallet out of nowhere and slammed it down onto a big red button. Owada was promptly dragged away, and everyone watched on in horror. Owada was placed on a motorcycle, and before long, it sped off into a round metal cage. Owada spun around again and again until the motorcycle came to a stop. Owada was nowhere to be seen. Then, off to the side, a few faint beeps were heard. They came from some sort of factory machine. And then, out came a small package that read ‘Owada butter.’ Makoto grimaced. What a sick way to execute someone…

Makoto could hear Ishimaru’s sobs worsen. He knew what it felt like to lose a friend… He wondered how much worse it would be for someone less capable of handling death and betrayal?

As if completely unaware of everyone else’s sorrow, Togami sighed. “I suppose that this is the end of the game, then. What a shame.”

With tears in her eyes, Asahina glared at Togami. “You’re insane! One of our friends just died! This is _ not _ a game!”

Togami huffed. “ _ Of course _ it’s a game. A game of life and death, but a game nonetheless.”

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Kirigiri began. “I don’t have a response. Except that… I don’t understand why. Why did you go out of your way to disguise Owada’s crime?”

Togami scoffed. “Why? Isn’t it obvious? To make things more interesting. Last night I was in the library as usual.” Celeste said something about him ‘breaking the nighttime rule’ but he ignored her. “The night grew late, and I decided to return to my room- which is when I stumbled upon him. I spotted Owada coming out of the girl's locker room. After he’d left, I looked inside and found the corpse. He was such a fool- he didn’t have the slightest idea that I saw him. But, since I had, that would’ve been boring, wouldn’t it? I mean, what a waste of time to have the answer revealed at the beginning. Which is why I decided to… lend a helping hand.”

Hagakure looked at Togami with a confused expression on his face. “But damn, if we hadn’t figured it out, you woulda’ died too.”

“Well, obviously I would’ve revealed the truth before it got to that point.” Then, Togami fixed his gaze on Makoto, and they locked eyes. Togami’s eyes narrowed. “Of course, thanks to a  _ certain remarkable someone _ , it never did. And I was able to perform an interesting experiment. Once I do decide to become blackened, I now know who I’ll have to watch out for.” 

“So that was your reason…” Kirigiri nodded to herself.

Makoto just stared at Togami. How could he treat this situation like any old game that he could win!? That’s insane! And to proclaim that he planned to  _ murder _ someone!? Was this guy  _ crazy!?  _ He supposed that he should talk to Togami at some point. Maybe Makoto could get him to change his view on things… Although, he could sort that out later. 

Makoto left the courtroom with the rest of his classmates, and the curtain closed on the case of Fujisaki and Owada.  __

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I ended up getting distracted while doing the final editing for this chapter, so I gave up. Sorry, there are bound to be tons of mistakes that I missed. I would say that I'll go back and fix them later, but honestly, I probably won't. If you do find any mistakes though, feel free to let me know! I'm super excited to write the next chapter, so I'm sure it'll be out soon! I'm super sleep-deprived, so I'm going to stop writing now haha. See you later!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto has a very important discussion with Togami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I'm back, and this time I've been cutting it close. I try to get a new chapter out at least every three weeks, but this one gave me some trouble. Some important things that I will not disclose happen in this chapter, and I wanted to do them justice (pun intended). I also added quite a few extra interactions and scenes, so I hope you enjoy them! This chapter probably took the most work (besides the trials, those are infinitely more draining) so that's why it took me this long! I've re-read this chapter so many times, I could probably recite the whole thing from memory. Also, I'd like to add that this chapter is not only the longest 'daily life' chapter, but the longest chapter yet! This one clocks in at a whopping 13,615 words (that's 35 Google doc pages)! They just keep getting longer, and I'm so, so sorry. Also, also, we've surpassed 300 kudos! Thank you so much for your support! I've said it before, but I truly would not be continuing this story without your kind comments and kudos. For now, that's all I had to say, so let's get right into it! Buckle up, because this one is really long.

Makoto walked towards the dorm rooms, deep in thought. He found his mind wandering back to the trial that had just occurred. More specifically, his thoughts lingered on a certain blonde-haired boy. He wasn’t sure what to feel at the moment. He was feeling conflicted- a cross between disgusted and almost proud. He internally scolded himself. Proud? Why would he be proud of the fact that the boy he found slightly attractive had decided to tamper with a dead body? Maybe because Makoto didn’t think that he had it in him to do something like that. Usually, people like him acted tough but were truly cowards on the inside. It really should’ve bothered him more than it did, but he supposed that he couldn’t be one to judge. He might not have messed with a crime scene before, but he was technically a murderer. Makoto shook his head to clear his thoughts. He didn’t want to think about his job right now. 

As Makoto walked past the other dorms, he remembered that he wanted to talk to Fukawa before he retreated to his room. He knew _exactly_ what it felt like to have your deepest darkest secret revealed. He related to her more than she would ever know. 

Makoto continued down the hall and stopped in front of Fukawa’s door. He had lingered in the other area of the school for much longer than everyone else, so she was bound to be in her room. He steeled himself and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door creaked open. Makoto had a strange sense of deja vu.

“W-what do you want?” Fukawa asked. At least she was back to her normal self. Jill wasn’t the one he needed to comfort. Although, he could admit that she was strangely easier to be around than Fukawa.

Makoto gave her the nicest smile he could. “I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. Is that okay?”

Fukawa’s eyes shifted to the side as she seemed to mull over whether or not to let Makoto in. “W-whatever.” She opened the door wider and stood off to the side. Makoto entered her room and took in his surroundings. He noticed many papers and notebooks strewn about, as well as an ungodly number of pens littered around the room. Fukawa moved to stand in front of him, fixing him with a glare. “What d-did you want…? Are you here to heckle me b-because of my s-secret?”

Makoto shook his head. “No, of course not!” Fukawa wrung her hands together nervously. 

“I just wanted to let you know that I don’t judge you for it. I understand what you're going through more than you could ever know. Just remember that I’m here for you if you ever want to talk, okay?” Makoto smiled at her. She looked up and caught his eye. The corners of her mouth twitched up in a small smile. He was sure that he wouldn’t have noticed it if he hadn’t been paying attention. She looked almost thankful. 

“W-whatever… I don’t need your pity…”

“See you around, Fukawa.” With that, Makoto left her room. 

He retreated to his own dorm and immediately sat down on his bed. He made himself comfortable, and stared at the ceiling, losing himself in his thoughts once again. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he faintly heard something shift against the floor. His head snapped towards the door, on high alert. He calmed down when he noticed that it was just a piece of paper. Someone had slid a piece of paper under his door. He walked over to it and picked it up. It was a note written in extremely neat, fancy handwriting. His eyes skimmed over the page and he began to read. 

> _Once the nighttime announcement sounds, head to the library alone. If you do not comply, I will track you down myself. I expect to see you there._
> 
> _-Togami_

Makoto set the paper down and thought for a moment. What on earth would Togami need to talk to him about? Of course, there was always the possibility that he was planning to kill Makoto. Even so, Makoto wouldn’t be in very much danger. He was very capable of defending himself if Togami tried anything. He had also planned to speak to him at some point so he figured that there was no risk. Although, he might need to take some precautions. 

Makoto walked over to the back of his room and fished out his second key. He removed the large painting and unlocked the door to his weapon closet. He scanned the shelves, trying to pick out what he would bring with him. He decided that a simple switchblade would do. He pocketed it and locked everything back up. Once the painting was back in place, four chimes rang out from the monitor. It was nighttime.

Once Monokuma’s announcement concluded, Makoto slipped out into the hallway. He looked from side to side, and once he was satisfied that he was completely alone, he started his trek to the library. He crept up to the second floor and headed over to his destination. He stopped himself in front of the large doors and prepared himself, his senses on high alert. After a few seconds, he reluctantly pushed open the library doors. 

Inside, he immediately spotted Togami. He was sitting at the desk in the center of the room, and in his hands was a black folder. They locked eyes, and Makoto made his way over to him, seating himself in the chair across from Togami. He mustered up a small smile, trying not to give away his suspicion. “So, what did you need to talk about?”

Togami’s eyes narrowed. “You can drop the act.” Makoto raised his eyebrows. Togami placed the black folder he was holding on the table. He folded his hands and leaned forwards. Makoto felt like he was in a business meeting. “I know what you’re hiding.” Makoto stopped his eyes from widening too much. He frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not hiding anything.”

Togami scoffed. “I know that you lied about your talent.” This time Makoto couldn’t stop himself from looking a little shocked. He supposed that he could try to deny it for now, but he might have to give up at some point. Togami didn’t seem like the kind of guy that would throw around baseless accusations. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Togami’s frown deepened. “Since you don’t seem to believe I know what I’m talking about, let me share my thinking.”

“On the first day we were trapped in here, you stopped Owada from punching you. It’s not quite evidence in itself, but you’ve shown that you have excellent reflexes and strength. Later that day, I even caught you following me. I barely noticed you, and as observant as I usually am, avoiding my detection isn’t an easy feat.” Togami paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing. 

“In both of the trials that we have been through, you’ve shown that you are very intelligent and a skilled debater. You are more perceptive than I would’ve originally thought. You even caught wind of my plan before the trial started. And during the investigations, you had no problem getting up close and personal with dead bodies. Not to mention that earlier, you had no qualms about reading confidential documents. I warned you about the trouble it would cause you, yet you ignored my words. It’s almost as if you were convinced that nothing would happen to you. _Clearly_ you have something that you’re hiding.”

Makoto just stared at him. Maybe he should’ve been more careful… But Togami still hadn’t gathered enough evidence to say he was lying concretely. He hadn’t even discovered what his talent _actually_ was. Makoto forced out a small laugh, hoping to seem nonchalant- like he wasn’t worried that Togami would figure him out. “You’re talking crazy. _Yeah_ , I get good grades, and _yeah_ , I took martial arts lessons when I was like, seven. But I’m not lying about anything.”

Togami narrowed his eyes. “I told you to _drop the act_ . If you need more evidence, then I can give it to you. I don’t want to repeat myself, but it seems that I must. I know _exactly_ what your real talent is.” Makoto froze. He scrambled to gather his bearings and snorted. “ _Okay_ , then what is this supposed _talent?_ ”

Togami smirked. “You’re an assassin.”

Makoto gasped. It took him a moment, but he regained his facade. Unless Togami had undeniable proof, he wasn’t going to give up. “What? How could you say that about me!?”

“You still don’t believe I can prove it? Well, here is the icing on the cake.” Togami slid the black folder towards him. Makoto reluctantly picked it up and cracked it open. He immediately saw the profile of a girl he knew. His eyes widened. Harukawa Maki. Another young assassin- she came from that orphanage that trains people like them. He was pretty sure that Hope’s Peak intended to scout her next year- she was an incredibly skilled assassin. And if Togami had her profile… Makoto started to panic. He slowly slid her profile out of the way, and he gasped. There was a second profile beneath hers. It was his. Togami had his profile. 

He supposed that he would have to stop denying it. A sad smile crossed his features and he set down the folder. Makoto sighed. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you. You got me.” Makoto locked eyes with him. “I suppose I should reintroduce myself then?” 

“I’m Naegi Makoto, the Ultimate Assassin.”

Togami raised his eyebrows, a pleased look on his face. It seemed like he didn’t expect Makoto to admit it so easily. “You look a little surprised. I know when I have to give up.” Makoto leaned forwards. “So what are you going to do now that you know? Tell everyone?”

Togami narrowed his eyes and wasted no time answering. “Of course. They all need to know that we have another _murderer_ in our midst. Then they’ll know to watch out for you. You can’t kill anyone if you're the first person we’ll suspect.”

Makoto frowned. He couldn’t expect Togami to understand. He was clearly convinced that Makoto would kill someone. There was no doubt that Togami was going to rat him out, like he did to Fukawa. He wondered how he could change Togami’s mind... Makoto pulled out his switchblade and fidgeted with it idly, turning the blade in his hands. Togami’s eyes widened. If he wanted Togami to listen, he would have to be threatening. 

Makoto took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he fixed his gaze on Togami and began to speak. “I can’t expect you to believe me, but you should take the fact that you aren’t dead as proof that I have no plans to kill anyone. If I killed you, I would be sure that no one would discover my secret. Surely you’re smart enough to realize that.” Makoto narrowed his eyes. “I don't want to kill anyone. That would be giving whoever trapped us in here exactly what they want. They gave me an entire hidden room's worth of weapons- probably assuming that because of my talent, it would be ridiculously easy to win this game. It _would be_ , but I don’t particularly _like_ taking people's lives.” 

Makoto stopped playing with his knife for a second and raised his arm ever so slightly. He closed one eye and gripped the knife by the blade. His wrist snapped forwards and the knife shot past Togami’s head, barely grazing his hair. It stuck into one of the books on the shelf behind him. Togami flinched ever so slightly and turned his head to see where the knife had gone. He smirked.

Makoto leaned forwards once again. “You are not going to say a word about this to anyone. Don’t tell a _soul_ , or I will be sure that things won’t end so well for you. I’m perfectly capable of rendering you unable to walk _with my bare hands_ . I won’t kill you, but you’ll _wish you were dead_.” Togami’s eyes widened a hair, and his smirk grew. It may not have seemed like it, but Makoto was bluffing. “I’d prefer to let everyone know about my secret on my own terms. If I can help it, I’d like everyone to hear it from me directly. But I’m not stupid, Togami. I know that they’ll find out one way or another, although I’d rather postpone that for as long as possible.”

Makoto put his hand out and locked eyes with Togami. “Do we have a deal?” Togami let out a laugh and shook his head, his eyes cold and calculating. “I suppose that we do.” Togami stretched his hand out to meet Makoto's and they shook hands. “This will make for an interesting turn of events.” 

Makoto stood up and retrieved his knife from where it was stuck. He turned back to Togami. “I’ll see you around. If you want anything else, just come and find me.” With that, Makoto pocketed his knife and headed back to his room.”

* * *

The next morning Makoto went to the breakfast meeting as always. He made sure that he attended every day, and talked to as many people as he could. If the inevitable was going to happen, he hoped to build some trust with his classmates first. It also seemed like Togami didn’t go against his word, so that was a relief too. He could also safely say that he had made a few friends so far, usually conversing with them over breakfast or during his free time. He had even managed to find an unlikely sort of friend in Kirigiri, who seemed to tolerate him more than the others. He supposed that was good too- if Togami hadn’t figured out his secret, he would’ve expected her to reveal his lie.

Although, he noticed that one of his friends hadn’t attended the breakfast meeting. Asahina was absent for some reason, and when he asked if anyone knew why, Ogami had said that she wasn’t feeling well and had a stomach ache. Makoto wasn’t sure if that was even true… 

Makoto also took notice of the fact that Ishimaru hadn’t said a word since the meeting started. And now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure that Ishimaru had said _anything_ since yesterday's trial. He remembered how close Ishimaru and Owada were. He frowned. Losing Owada must’ve really affected him. 

Once the meeting concluded, everyone headed up to the third floor to investigate the new rooms available. There was a rec room, filled with many different games and things to do, including a dartboard. Makoto figured that he should try it out sometime. He was _amazing_ at throwing darts. 

The next room that he explored was the art room. There were many different supplies, in fact, there was a repository in the back with even more tools. Although, When he was in there, he spotted a picture on the floor. When he finally got a good look at it, he froze before picking it up. It was a picture of Owada, Fujisaki, and Kuwata, smiling and laughing in front of a window. A window that was _not_ blocked with an iron plate, mind you. All he could do was stare at it, trying to wrap his head around how that could be possible. They never mentioned knowing each other… Suddenly, Monokuma appeared and attempted to snatch the photo out of his hands. Makoto persisted and fought to keep the photo until Monokuma gave up and left. Makoto sighed and stuffed the photo in his pocket. He’d better show everyone later. 

The last room on the floor was the physics lab. There was a very large machine in the center of the room- Monokuma popped up to tell him that it was an air purifier. Strange. Why would they need an air purifier? There was also an equipment room too, similarly to the art room. 

Once he was done exploring the new floor, he headed back to the dining hall to talk to everyone. On his way there, he couldn’t help but notice that he hadn’t seen Togami at all. He had spoken briefly to everyone else, even Fukawa- who had attended the breakfast meeting that day. Although, that wasn’t _quite_ correct. To be more specific, Jill was the one who attended the meeting. That meant that Togami was the only person missing. Makoto couldn’t help but worry about him. 

Once he arrived in the dining hall, everyone started to talk about what they’d found. Most of it was what he had already discovered himself, but there were a few things that he didn’t happen to notice. Asahina, who was now in the dining hall, despite having a ‘stomach ache,’ had informed them that the nurse's office was now open. Makoto hoped that he would never have to utilize it… Hagakure also mentioned that he spotted Togami in the locker room with many books from the library. Makoto felt relieved that he was okay. Although, he wondered why he cared. Abruptly, Jill ran out of the room, stating that Togami _couldn’t hide from her._ Makoto would have to check and see if he was okay later. 

Once everyone had finished sharing, Makoto brought up the photo that he found, showing it to everyone. He was skeptical about the authenticity himself, but Celeste told them that it must’ve been forged and that they should forget about it. He supposed that he could accept that answer for now, but something told him that there was something else going on here…

“Now that I think about it,” Celeste began. “I have something that I’d like to ask Asahina.” The girl in question nodded. “I was just wondering why you would lie about having a stomach ache.”

Asahina gasped. “H-how did you know?”

Celeste smiled. “Everyone has something they do that will give away their lie. It's something that you can’t control.”

Asahina frowned. “If I told the truth, no one would believe me…”

Makoto shook his head and was quick to assure her. “No, we’ll believe you! If you need to tell us something, then you can.” Asahina sighed. “Well, okay. If you say so…” She paused for a moment, reluctant to share. “Last night I got caught up thinking about everything that’s happened and I got really sad, so I left my room to go get some doughnuts.”

Celeste sighed. “You broke the nighttime rule too?” Asahina gave her a guilty look. “I know… and I feel really bad about that. But when I was in the hallway, I heard a really weird sound coming from the bathhouse. When I went in to check it out, I saw… Fujisaki’s ghost...” 

Celeste sighed again. “So _that’s_ what you had to tell us…? How silly.”

“I knew that you wouldn’t believe me!”

Makoto frowned. “Well, I’m sure that Asahina has a reason for thinking she saw something. Don't you think that we should at least check it out?”

Kirigiri nodded. “She might’ve found something worthwhile.”

Then, everyone left to gather in the bathhouse. Once they arrived, Asahina pointed to the locker where she supposedly saw Fujisaki’s ghost. Makoto opened the locker and inside was a laptop. He recognized it from the library, but it was broken when they found it there. When he tried to power it on, they were greeted with a desktop that had countless files on it. Fujisaki must’ve fixed it. Kirigiri peered over his shoulder, and she pointed to an icon in the corner of the screen. It was titled ‘Alter Ego.’ That sounded very familiar to him… When he clicked on it, an image of Fujisaki’s face appeared on the screen.

“Master, are you back?” A soft, sweet voice came out of the speakers. It sounded just like Fujisaki- the tone, inflection, everything. 

Kirigiri nudged Makoto out of the way and started to type. The words _‘What are you?’_ appeared at the bottom of the screen. AI Fujisaki smiled. “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Fujisaki Chihiro.” The AI Fujisaki giggled. “I always get so embarrassed introducing myself.” Kirigiri hummed and turned back to the group. “I’ve heard of this AI program before, but I’ve never seen it for myself. It’s how Fujisaki earned his ultimate title. The AI lives in a computer, and by repeating different tasks, it gains knowledge bit by bit. Apparently, Fujisaki used a support vector machine and reinforcement learning to develop it. Eventually, he came up with a breakthrough in artificial intelligence design.” So _that’s_ why the name seemed familiar. Makoto nodded. “If this AI continues to grow, it will become more than just a piece of software to help people. Some say that an AI like this might someday _replace_ people.” He added.

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “So he fixed the laptop and put his own program on there. That is what this means, yes? He brought the machine to the dressing room so that the mastermind would not be able to see it… How clever.” 

Kirigiri nodded and turned back to the laptop, her fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard. At the bottom of the screen were the words _‘Why are you here?’_

“Are you asking what Master had planned for me? Well, he wanted me to analyze the massive number of files stored on this laptop. I believe the files are related to the school, but the protection on them is surprisingly strong. It’s taking me a little longer than I thought. Master thought that because the protection on the files is so strong, that they must contain some important secret.”

Then, Kirigiri typed out her next question. _‘How long until everything will be unlocked?’_ Alter Ego frowned. “Um… It’s going to be a while. But I’m definitely going to do it, so you can leave it to me!” Makoto nodded. So, because of the large workload, Fujisaki designed Alter Ego to handle it. Even after his death, the work remains uninterrupted. 

Kirigiri went to type something else. _‘Keep it up. But be careful not to let the mastermind notice you.’_

“Don’t worry. I have a secret plan ready, just in case. I can see what’s going on with my built-in webcam, so if anyone suspicious shows up I’ll just scream for help real loud!” Celeste brought her finger to her chin. “That is fine during the day, but nighttime will be a concern. All of our rooms are soundproof.”

Makoto wondered what they could do. Suddenly, he had an idea. “I’ll keep my door open at night. Then there’s no way that I’ll miss him yelling.” Makoto offered. A few people voiced their worries, and Makoto sighed. “There’s a chance that I’ll become a victim myself, I know. But I’m not as weak as you think. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.”

Abruptly, Alter Ego began to speak. “Would you mind if _I_ asked a few questions? I haven’t seen Master for a while. When you got here, I thought it was him but… Is Master…?” For a split second, no one knew what to do. Although Kirigiri recovered quickly, and the soft clacks of the keyboard sounded through the room. _‘Fujisaki is dead. Owada killed him’_

Tears welled up in Alter Ego’s eyes. “I see… To be honest, I knew all along… I knew that the chances of Master surviving this situation were very low. So, I was prepared for this moment…”

“Somehow, I feel bad for her…” Yamada said.

Celeste scoffed. “It is a simple computer program. It does not have feelings.”

“Are you sure about that…?”

“Anyway,” Kirigiri began. “That’s enough for today. If we linger too long, the mastermind will start to suspect something.” Before they left, she typed out one last message to Alter Ego. _‘I’ll come back later.’_

“Yes, please do! That’s a promise, okay? Bye-bye!” Makoto smiled. Despite the fact that Alter Ego was an AI program, the way that he spoke sounded genuine. Kirigiri turned to the group. “I'll be monitoring the progress of the file analysis. I’m confident that we’ll find a clue once it’s finished.”

Then, everyone left the bathhouse. As soon as they all stepped into the hallway, Asahina let out a joyful shout. “Isn’t it awesome? I ended up doing something totally awesome!” As if he’d been waiting for his cue, Monokuma appeared. “So, what was this awesome something? You guys seem like you’re in really good spirits! Did something good happen!?”

“No, nothing in particular…” Makoto said.

“Oh, keeping secrets, are we!? I demand an exclusive interview!” Makoto frowned. That wasn’t a jab at him, was it…?

Yamada let out a loud shout. “Denied, denied, _super denied!_ ”

Before Monokuma could complain any more, Celeste spoke up. “We were just talking about going to the bathhouse. We have not had a chance to relax in some time. But unfortunately, the bathhouse is not divided into men’s and women’s sections. So we decided to do rock paper scissors to decide which group would go first. Asahina won the match for us, and that is why we are all so pleased.”

“Y-yeah, that’s right!” Asahina stuttered. “Speaking of which… Okay, boys! Why don’t you head on back to the dining hall or something? We’re going to take a nice long bath!”

Hagakure shook his head. “Ah, man. What’re ya’ gonna’ do, right? We lost fair and square!”

“Well, ladies, shall we go?”

Makoto furrowed his brows. Celeste was lying through her teeth, and yet it was near impossible to tell. He would have to watch out for her, she was certainly a dangerous one…

Then, she and the other girls headed into the bathhouse. Hagakure and Yamada stated their defeat once more, before dropping the act. “So, should we head to the dining hall now?” Hagakure asked. Makoto frowned as his thoughts wandered back to earlier when Jill ran after Togami. He wanted to go check on him to see if he was okay. Jill had been very vocal about her wish to murder the heir. “You guys can go without me. I’m going to go check on something, okay?” They nodded and Makoto set off. 

Hagakure said that he was in the locker room, right?

As Makoto walked up the stairs to the second floor, he concluded that Togami was probably fine. Jill had no way of getting into the boys locker room… Right? Makoto started to walk faster. If each dead student's handbook would be transported to the mailbox in the main hall after their death, then Kuwata’s handbook should be back there now. _That means that Jill could enter the boy's locker room and get to Togami._ He had a bad feeling. Makoto internally scolded himself. Why the _hell_ do you care? All he had done was be rude to Makoto and all of his friends!

Makoto approached the pool doors and swung them open. Maybe Togami was fine and Makoto was just overreacting. He pulled out his handbook and swiped it on the card reader, entering the locker room. 

Inside he spotted Togami up against one of the walls, Jill cornering him, scissors out. They didn’t seem to be aware of his presence, and he faintly heard Jill speaking to Togami before her scissors flew towards him. Togami put his arms up in defense, and her razor-sharp scissors slashed against his wrist. She pulled her scissors away, grazing his hands, and blood trickled onto the floor. Makoto took a step into the room and Jill’s head snapped towards him. She cackled. “Did ya’ come to join the fun, Makyutie!?” Makoto glared at her and started to make his way towards them. “ _Get away from him._ ” Jill laughed again. “No thanks! I’m good right where I am!” She took her scissors and lightly prodded at Togami, causing the boy to flinch. “ _I said,_ get away from him.”

“My, my! So you're _actually_ in here to save your dashing prince from little old me!? You _didn’t_ want to get in on the action!?”

Makoto sighed angrily. He didn’t want to deal with her right now. In one swift motion, Makoto dashed over to the pair and punched Jill in the face. Her head snapped back and she slid backward, cackling as she regained her bearings. She ran over to Makoto and stabbed her scissors towards him, but he caught the blade with his hand. He kneed her in the stomach and used his grip on her scissors to push her onto the ground. He wrapped his free hand around her neck. “Move again, _I dare you._ ” Jill cackled. “You're not as innocent as you look, Makyutie! You really know what you're doing!” She shifted under him, and Makoto’s grip tightened around her neck. 

“I wouldn’t have to do this if you had listened to me.”

Jill laughed hoarsely, her voice strained. “Whatever, whatever! All I wanted to do was murder my beloved master- is that so much to ask!? Don’t you think he would look perfect as a dead body!?” Makoto’s grip tightened again, and Jill gasped for air.

“Try anything like that again, and I’ll make sure to do a lot worse,” Makoto growled. 

Jill coughed, her voice quiet and hoarse when she spoke again. “Fine! I guess I can kill him _later._ ” Makoto scoffed. She really was a nutjob, wasn’t she? After a few moments, Makoto reluctantly let her off the ground, wincing at the pain in his hand. He sighed. “Get out of here. And don’t try that _ever_ again.” Jill laughed and scurried out of the locker room, picking up Kuwata’s handbook on the way out. “No promises!” 

Makoto turned back to look at Togami. His eyes were wide, his expensive suit wrinkled, and glasses askew. For a few moments, all they did was stare at each other. Although, Makoto quickly realized that he would need to tend to both of them. Fortunately, the nurse's office was now open. Talk about good timing. Makoto sighed and broke the silence. “C’mon. I need to clean your wounds. The nurse's office is open now, so we should go there.” Togami blinked a few times before, presumably, remembering who he was. He scoffed. “Bold of you to assume that I would let you get near me. I can do that myself.” Makoto huffed. “Sure you can. Tell me, how many times have you had to tend to your own wounds?” He didn’t have an answer. “ _Exactly._ Let’s go.” Togami huffed and looked away. Makoto sighed. He walked up to Togami and grabbed onto his uninjured wrist, dragging him across the room and out the door. Surprisingly, Togami let himself get dragged to the nurse's office, despite his previous distaste towards the idea. When they arrived, Makoto pushed Togami towards one of the cots, and he reluctantly sat down. Meanwhile, Makoto searched the room for bandages and antiseptic. 

“So,” Makoto began. “Care to explain why I found you in the boy's locker room being attacked by Jill?” Togami clicked his tongue. “I was _not_ being _attacked…_ ” Makoto turned back to raise his eyebrows at him. “Really? Because that’s what it looked like to me.” Togami huffed. “ _Whatever._ I was just reading in the locker room to get away from her, and she figured out where I was. At first, she was just being delusional as usual, but then she apparently decided that she wanted to kill me.” Makoto snorted, and Togami glared at him.

Makoto took all of the supplies that he found and brought them over to where Togami was sitting. Makoto realized that he was being strangely… complaint. Weird. Makoto grabbed a chair and sat in front of him. “Okay, what’s the damage?” Togami sighed. It seemed like voicing his current vulnerability didn’t sit well with him. “There’s one larger cut on my wrist and a couple of smaller ones on my hands.” Makoto nodded. 

Togami reluctantly held out his left arm, and Makoto pushed back his sleeve a bit to reveal the cut. It was nothing too deep, but it was probably painful. Makoto could feel how tense he was. Togami most likely didn’t trust him because of his talent. Makoto hoped that he could change his mind. Before tending to Togami’s cut though, Makoto haphazardly stuck a piece of paper towel onto his own wound to catch the blood. He would clean it later, but right now, dealing with Togami was priority. He grabbed the antiseptic and some cotton balls, but before he began he looked up for a moment. Togami was staring at him intently. 

“You probably know, but this will sting. Just- uh, be prepared for that, I guess. And… you don’t have to be so cautious around me. I may be an assassin, but that doesn’t make me a monster...” Makoto looked back down and began to clean Togami’s wound. He frowned. He knew how well that he tried to hide it, but he noticed that Togami flinched a bit. Makoto continued on in silence until Togami cleared his throat. 

“So, I must say I am quite curious how you found Jill and I.”

Makoto nodded, and he began to bandage Togami’s wrist. “Well, when everyone met up in the dining hall after exploring the school, Hagakure mentioned he had spotted you going into the locker room with a ton of books. Jill just so happened to be present and went off to find you. I came to check on you because… I don’t know. I was worried?”

Togami scoffed. “I didn’t ask for you to worry. I was handling things fine on my own.”

Makoto suppressed a laugh. That is certainly not what he could call _handling things fine._ “Whatever you say.”

Togami was silent for a moment. Makoto had just finished bandaging his cut and had moved on to cleaning up the smaller wounds on his hands. For some reason, this felt much more… intimate. Like they were holding hands or something. 

Togami seemed like he was trying to decide what to say, or whether he should say anything. Reluctantly, he began. “Why would you worry about me?” Togami asked.

Makoto shrugged. “Well, technically speaking, you're the person closest to me here. I have nothing to hide from you. I guess that’s comforting. And I would worry about _anyone_ if Jill was hunting them down…” Makoto shook his head to clear his thoughts, aware that he was rambling. “What I’m trying to say is.. I didn’t want you to get hurt.” 

Togami hummed. 

Once Makoto was finished cleaning up Togami’s hands, he looked back up at him. They locked eyes, and all Makoto could think about was Togami's pretty bright blue eyes. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually, his eyes shifted onto something else. On Togami’s cheek was a small cut that he hadn’t noticed before. Togami turned his head to the side, silently asking what he was looking at. “Your cheek. There’s a small cut on your cheek. I… I can clean it for you?”

They locked eyes once more. After a few moments, Togami nodded slowly. “You might as well.”

Makoto picked up the antiseptic and shifted closer to Togami. He leaned forwards to get a better look at what he was doing and dabbed at Togami’s cheek. Makoto could practically feel Togami’s piercing gaze analyzing his every move. 

After a few tense moments, Makoto leaned away and began to tend to his own wound. He started to clean the palm of his hand, surprised that Jill’s scissors were so sharp. As he worked, he glanced back up at Togami. “While I do this, there’s something that I wanted to say.” Togami nodded slightly, gaze locked onto Makoto’s hands, watching his every move. 

“You know, most of my targets are people like you. People that have made themselves so many enemies that somebody wanted them dead. With the way you’ve been acting around everyone, you’ve painted a huge target on your back. Which isn’t to say that my approach is all that great either. I mean, we _both_ know what happened with Maizono. But you _have_ to know that how you're going about things is worse. I don’t care how impossible failure seems, but one way or another, someone is going to want to kill you. Making friends may open you up to being more vulnerable, but making a ton of enemies guarantees that someone will come after you.” 

Makoto paused for a moment. “You aren’t helping yourself out by making everyone hate you. That doesn’t mean that you need to be friends with everyone either. Just- I don’t know- find someone that you _know_ that you can trust, and rely on them. Support in situations like this is really all you could ask for. Even people like you need someone to count on.”

Makoto paused once more, and he frowned. “And, _please_ don’t kill anyone. I understand that you think you need to win- that you were born to win. And you know what? Maybe you were. But killing someone to get out of here _isn’t_ winning. You can’t even fathom the soul-crushing guilt you experience when you take someone else's life. I would never wish that on anyone. Not even my greatest enemies. I just hope that you’ll take my word for it.” 

Makoto began to bandage his hand and watched Togami’s reaction closely. His brows furrowed, and Makoto could practically _hear_ the cogs turning in his head as he digested his words. Once Makoto’s hand was bandaged, Togami spoke. 

“Why… why would you tell me all of that?”

Makoto smiled softly. “Because I’m worried about you.”

Togami looked away for a moment. “I- I suppose that I can take your words into consideration.” Makoto’s smile widened. 

Suddenly, Monokuma appeared. The calm atmosphere in the room dissipated immediately and Makoto groaned. He was sure that Monokuma was there to give them some unfavourable news. The bear cackled at Makoto’s reaction. “No need to look so disappointed! Guess what!? I have a present for all of you! Go ahead and head to the gym as soon as possible!” Then, he vanished. 

Makoto and Togami looked at each other for a moment. Then, Makoto began to clean up, putting everything back on their respective shelves. Once he was finished, he turned towards the door, where he spotted Togami standing there, waiting for him. The pair headed off to the gym. 

When they arrived, they were the first ones there. They stood off to the side, still together. Makoto smiled a bit. Maybe his words had gotten through to him? Soon, everyone else joined them, matching looks of uneasiness on their faces. Then, Monokuma appeared, and he immediately began to speak. “I’ve been _super_ bored lately! Things have been so lackluster, and I’ve been forced to wonder once again, why is no one killing! So, I decided to present another motive! But it’s different this time. Up until now, I’ve been using the _woosh_ of the north wind to get you moving- but sometimes, you gotta’ use the sun to light a fire under someone’s butt!” The bear cackled. “So, this time I’ve decided to give you a reward!” Suddenly, several large stacks of money thumped onto the podium in front of Monokuma. “Ten million dollars! I’ve prepared this graduation present for whichever lucky student makes it out of here alive!”

From beside him, Makoto heard Togami scoff. “It’s not _nearly_ enough.”

“When it comes to motives, money certainly is the gold standard, so to speak. Whether it’s a mystery novel or the real world…” Kirigiri said.

Asahina huffed. “There’s no way we’d kill each other for money!”

Everyone voiced their agreements with her statement, and the bear laughed. “C’mon, stop trying to act tough! The most important thing is to live a pure and moral communal life!” With that, Monokuma disappeared, taking the large stack of money with him. 

Asahina sighed. “We have nothing to worry about, right? No one would kill their friends for money…”

As if he had been waiting for this opportunity, Togami scoffed at her. “Have you so quickly forgotten the lesson from last time? You can’t judge others by your own standard.”

Fukawa, who was now back to her regular self, chimed in. “Y-yeah, there might be someone here who’s having m-money problems!”

Celeste giggled daintily. “Personally, I’ve earned over one million dollars from my gambling efforts. My life is… comfortable.”

“Y-Yamada? What about y-you!?”

“I’m a super popular content creator! I don’t have any problem making enough money to buy my comics and merchandise!”

Before Fukawa could interrogate anyone else, Ogami stepped in. “Just stop. Pressing others about their personal finances is… ugly.”

“U-u-u-ugly!?”

“Don’t worry. Either way, whatever’s going to happen will happen without warning. That is the nature of this game.” Togami cut in.

Before anything else could be said, the nearby monitor chimed, and the nighttime announcement played. It was already nighttime? Makoto had no idea that much time had passed… “Before we go, let me remind you,” Makoto began. “Starting tonight I’ll be leaving my door open to make sure nothing happens to… _y’know._ ” Makoto didn’t want to mention Alter Ego specifically, lest Monokuma heard. “Just because my door is open, don’t assume that will make me an easy target. Or the hunter will become the hunted.” Makoto looked over at Togami for a moment, and the boy raised his eyebrows. He would have to explain everything later. 

“Okay, Okay. Let’s just head back to our rooms. And don’t think about the whole money thing, got it!” Hagakure said. And with that, everyone headed off to their rooms. 

* * *

The next morning, when Makoto attended the breakfast meeting, he noticed that Ishimaru was absent. He really couldn’t imagine how much he must have been going through- he was the Ultimate Moral Compass, yet he was skipping the daily meeting they had agreed to… That was concerning, to say the least. 

Before the meeting had concluded, Kirigiri made a new rule- no one was to talk to Alter Ego without permission. Makoto wondered why that was necessary, but when Yamada started to tremble, he thought he knew why. The day before, Yamada had seemed enamoured with the AI, which probably led to him breaking the nighttime rule to talk to it, and _that_ probably led to Kirigiri scolding him. He would need to keep that rule in mind. Despite his own strength, he wouldn’t want to anger Kirigiri. Something told him that it wouldn’t be a good idea. 

After the meeting, Makoto returned to his room. He sat on his bed and stared idly at the wall until someone rang his doorbell. He hesitated for a moment, before getting up and letting whoever was there inside. When he opened the door, Ishimaru slowly walked in, staring at Makoto blankly. Makoto stood in front of him, and for a moment, they were silent, until Ishimaru’s unusually meek voice rang through the room. “Is… Is it really true...? Can… I really see Fujisaki?” 

Makoto frowned. “Well, not exactly-”

“Can I talk to him?”

Makoto thought for a moment. Kirigiri said that they couldn’t talk to Alter Ego without her permission, but if they were quick, they might be able to avoid getting in trouble. Makoto nodded. “Sure. I’ll take you to him.” They slowly made the trek down to the bathhouse. Once inside, Makoto pulled out the laptop and booted up Alter Ego. 

“Okay,” Makoto began. “On this laptop is a computer program that Fujisaki designed. It’s an AI that looks and sounds just like him.” 

“How do I talk to him…?”

“Well, just tell me what you want to say, and I’ll type it in for you.” Makoto gave him a reassuring smile. It broke his heart to see someone in a state like this…

“Do you… hate Owada? And since I couldn’t stop him… do you hate me?” Ishimaru's voice was strained, and it was clear that he was trying to force himself to speak. Makoto typed in his words exactly as he said them. 

“Do you hold yourself responsible?” Alter Ego asked. “If Master could talk now, I think this is what he would say… Please live your life for the both of us. It’s impossible for me now, but you can still survive and escape- all of you.” Ishimaru was silent. Makoto frowned. 

“The one asking questions is Ishimaru, right? Analyzing all available data, that’s the only conclusion I can come to. Master told me how close Ishimaru and Owada had become. So that must be why he feels responsible…” Suddenly, the screen went dark. A few moments later, instead of Fujisaki’s image, Owada appeared on the screen. 

“You’re not letting yourself get crushed under the weight of that responsibility, are you!?”

Ishimaru yelped.

“A man’s only worth as much as the load he can carry!” The AI Owada continued. “You get it, right bro? Hell, what am I saying? Of course, you do!”

Then, just like it never happened, the program returned to normal. “I’m sorry if I startled you… That was my attempt at a simulation, using the data about Owada that Master had given me. I figured if Ishimaru was depressed, that’s the kind of thing that Owada would’ve said to him.”

Then, Alter Ego switched back to simulating Owada. “So you’re just gonna’ stand there, huh? Just wait for things to get better? Just take your time and get all depressed…? Take the time to indulge in your regrets…? You might even start walking again without realizing it. Sure, that kind of mediocre thinking might work for some people.”

Then, back again. “...What if I said it in that condescending tone!?” Alter Ego smiled. Suddenly, Ishimaru began to laugh. “It’s starting to sink in…” He said enigmatically. “The way a bucketful of water sinks into a bone-dry sponge… Those words… Deep within my heart…! They’re inside of me!” Then, Ishimaru let out a loud shout. Makoto furrowed his brows. Ishimaru had _really_ gone off the deep end… “...Ishimaru?” 

“Who the fudge is Ishimaru!?”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “Uh…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it! Guess I caused kind of a scene, huh? Shoot, man…”

Makoto gave him a suspicious look. “What happened to you…?”

“I’m a new me!” Ishimaru let out another loud shout. “I’m totally stuffed with fighting spirit right now! Ya’ dumbbutt!”

“Okay, Ishimaru… just calm down…”

“I am calm! And don’t call me Ishimaru! That’s… that’s not my name anymore… I’m me! I! Am! Me!” Ishimaru shouted once more, before sprinting out of the bathhouse. Makoto barely had enough time to realize that he was probably screwed. He thought he had seen Kirigiri when they were heading to the bathhouse, and she was sure to be heading there any minute now. Makoto scrambled to turn off the laptop and stuff back into the locker, just in time for Kirigiri to make her entrance. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked, her eyes icy and menacing. 

Makoto was silent for a moment, before coming up with an answer. “I’m not doing anything.” Clearly, his answer was unconvincing because not even a second later, Kirigiri spoke.

“Don’t go around doing whatever you feel like. It causes problems. And not just for me. For everyone.”

Makoto pouted. Did she have to be so rude about it? “Sorry…”

“If you’re really sorry, you’ll get out of here.”

At her command, Makoto walked out of the bathhouse with a frown on his face. 

When Makoto was walking down the hall to his dorm, he noticed that Jill was following close behind him. He spun around and faced her, and her grin widened. “What were you doing in the bathhouse with Ishimaru?” Makoto just stared at her blankly. “Don’t tell me you- you-!? Having lost his new brother, Ishimaru was ripe for the taking. So you swept in and stole him away! I am on fire!” Jill cackled. Makoto’s face scrunched up. “No offence to Ishimaru, but, _eww._ ” Jill’s grin disappeared for a moment. “What’s that supposed to mean? You have someone _else_ you’re interested in…? Oh _please_ tell me who!” 

Makoto frowned. As irrelevant as it was, her question made him think. He had never really given it much thought before. Sure, there was a fair share of attractive people stuck in the school with him, but he never thought about if he was _interested_ in any of them.

Suddenly, Jill started to laugh. “Ooh- I’ve got it! Togami! You two spend an awful lot of time together! And- I see the way you look at him! You practically have hearts for eyes! But sorry, Makyutie- he’s mine! Although I have to say, you two would be absolutely _adorable_ together! I think I’ve just found my new OTP!”

Makoto could practically feel the blush on his face. He spun on his heel and resumed walking to his dorm. “Hey, where are ya’ going?” Jill scurried after him. He didn’t really see another option, so Makoto ran over to his door, and slammed it in Jill’s face.

He plopped down on his bed, still feeling the adverse effects of Jill’s statement. And once again, he began to think. He wasn’t really sure if Jill was right or not. He had never _really_ thought about it before. He had never liked anyone before. But, he could admit to himself that Togami was attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that. But did recognizing that mean that he had some sort of crush? Had he blatantly realized anyone elses attractiveness? No, no he hadn’t. So he supposed that he had a tiny, minuscule, insignificant, itsy-bitsy crush on Togami. But that was no big deal, right? 

* * *

When Makoto walked into the dining hall the next morning, the only person that was there was Hagakure. He approached the tall man and asked where everyone was. 

“They went on ahead.”

Makoto’s brows furrowed. “Went on ahead... to where?”

“We can talk about it later. First, let’s go take a bath.”

It took him a moment, but he finally realized what Hagakure was getting at. Makoto nodded. They were probably meeting in the bathhouse to talk about Alter Ego. 

Once they arrived, Yamada screeched. “Someone help!”

“Yamada? What’s going on?”

“Naegi! Save me! I’ve never asked you for anything, but I’m asking now!”

Makoto’s brows furrowed. “What happened?”

Yamada trembled, pointing a finger to Kirigiri. “Sh-She’s trying to kill me!”

“I never said I was going to kill anyone.” Kirigiri started. “I simply asked him a question. I’d like to know why he made the same mistake twice.”

“The same mistake? What did he do?” Makoto asked. 

Kirigiri glared at Yamada. “He snuck into the bathhouse in the middle of the night and accessed Alter Ego without permission. And when I caught him last night… he was hugging the laptop and breathing strangely.”

Asahina gasped. “Wh-what were you doing!?”

“I thought I had made myself clear yesterday, but since being subtle didn’t work… I suppose I have to clarify myself further.”

Yamada yelped. “Please don’t kill me!”

Makoto frowned. “Um, Yamada? Could you tell me what happened?”

“W-well I was just talking!”

Kirigiri’s eyes narrowed. “Which was prohibited, was it not?”

“Well- y-you see… Talking to her was… so much fun, and I just…”

Hagakure quirked an eyebrow. “Woah, woah, woah! You’re not going to tell us you.. Fell in love or something, are you?”

“Wait…” Yamada began. “No way! Is- is this _love!?_ ” 

Asahina sighed. “Yeah… you’re totally in love.”

“But, how did this even happen?” Hagakure questioned.

“Well, it all started because I wanted to hear her say Master one more time… then- how can I say this- it was the first time I was able to talk to a normal girl. I could talk about my hobbies, and she wasn’t disgusted or anything. It was just… so much fun. And before I knew it, I began liking her. Her face, her personality, her voice. Even her keyboard…”

Asahina gasped. “Even the keyboard…!?”

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “I think you’ve misunderstood the situation, Yamada. Alter Ego was not interested in who you _were_ . It was interested in what you _knew_. It is artificial intelligence. It exists to learn. Of course it wanted to hear about things that it did not know.”

“I _know…_ I mean, I do know that, but still…”

Suddenly, a loud voice rang through the room, startling everyone. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Hey, you jerks! I’m sitting here, listening to you guys jibber-jabber on about whatever!”

Hagakure smiled. “Oh, Ishimaru! Are you back?”

“Who the hell is Ishimaru!?”

“Um… you?”

“Listen up, I’m _me!_ Got it!?”

Asahina looked at Ishimaru like he had two heads. “What happened to you Ishimaru…?”

Makoto sighed and told the group about what had happened the day before. 

Ogami nodded. “So because of what Alter Ego said to him…”

“What are y’all whining about!? C’mon! God, you’re really cheesin’ me off… Hey, Yamada? I dunno what you’re thinking, but… bro belongs to me!” 

“Huh?”

“Alter Ego! He’s an exact copy of the one who gave me my soul back! And I’m not gonna’ let anyone else have him ever again! Fudgin’ idiot!”

“I’m afraid… I can’t allow that.” Yamada countered. ‘I can’t withdraw! Ishimaru, since I have the opportunity, let me say this right now… Destiny has bound her and I together in the gordian knot of true love!”

“Well, _him_ and I have been melded together in the white-hot heat of friendship!”

Makoto sighed. “C’mon you guys…”

“Moron! Talk down to me again and I’ll ram my fist right into all four of your vital points!”

“Knock it off, both of you,” Kirigiri interjected. “This doesn’t belong to any one person. Fujisaki left him for all of us. We can use him to finally gain access to vital clues.”

Ogami glared at the two. “Kirigiri’s right. If anyone decides to disturb the peace any further, they’ll have to deal with me.” Both Ishimaru and Yamada went silent. “Until Alter Ego has finished his work, don’t do anything weird. Have I made myself clear?” Kirigiri said. “I can’t hear you!” Ogami growled. In unison, the two said “Yes!”

Kirigiri spun on her heel and headed towards the door. “Okay then. Let’s get out of here. We can’t afford to linger for too long.”

With that, everyone headed back to their rooms. 

* * *

The next morning, both Ishimaru and Kirigiri were not in the dining hall. Makoto wondered why that could be… Suddenly, a loud, familiar cackle sounded from outside the dining hall door. Then, it exploded open. Both Jill and Togami walked into the room. Togami scowled. “Don’t bother asking why we arrived at the same time. The answer should be obvious.”

Jill laughed. “I’ll give you a hint… I’m wearing red lingerie today!”

Asahina gave her a weird look. “I don’t think that anyone wanted to know…”

“Hold on a second! You...!” Jill pointed her scissors in Asahina’s direction.

“What’s your top power level, like 35-22-33!? You start out big on top to try and look thinner down south! Look at your melons! They’re seriously gargantuan! Do you dunk em’ in milk every night or something!?”

Ogami glared at Jill. “If you lay a finger on Asahina, I will show you no mercy!”

Celeste looked off to the side. “So, what do you want? Surely you're not here to join us for breakfast.”

“Of course not.” Togami began. “I came here to hear a story.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “A story…?”

“A story that no one has bothered to tell me yet.”

Makoto nodded. He must be talking about Alter Ego. “I’ll tell you later.”

Togami narrowed his eyes. “Why not now?”

Makoto looked from side to side for a moment, trying to figure out how to word it. “Because of certain… circumstances.”

Hagakure shook his head in disbelief. “Up till now you haven’t given a crap about anything, and _now_ you’re all concerned? I don’t buy it.”

Togami gave a pointed glance in Makoto’s direction before turning back to Hagakure. “I can do as I please.” Togami paused for a moment before turning back to Makoto. “Well, if not that, then tell me what’s going on with Ishimaru. When I saw him yesterday, I happened to notice that something seemed… off. So I was curious.”

Celeste sighed. “Ishimaru has become utterly useless.”

“Celeste! You don’t have to say it like that!” Makoto frowned.

“Did his spirit collapse or something? Was he unable to withstand this environment? Those men who clothe themselves in the cheap fabric of justice are often the first to fall.”

“Honestly, you're kinda right…” Makoto murmured.

Togami hummed. “Well, I suppose that’s all I needed. It seems that I am unwelcome here anyway. I will grant your desire and remove myself…”

“Yeah, let’s get outta here!” Jill said.

Togami glared at her. “You don’t need to come with me.”

Jill smiled sweetly. “You don’t have to play hard to get, Master! You can just play hard!” Then, Togami started to slowly back out of the room. He started picking up speed, and soon he was sprinting out of the dining hall. 

“He ran away…? So now he’s _running_ hard to get… I see.” Jill stated. “Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Jill cackled and took off after Togami. Without even bidding his other classmates goodbye, Makoto ran after them. 

Makoto caught up to Jill and took a hold of her wrist, watching Togami as he ran off. Jill spun around and cackled. “Here to stop me _again_ , are you?”

Makoto frowned. “I thought I told you not to try anything.”

Jill cackled. “And _I_ thought that _I_ said _no promises!_ ”

Makoto’s frown deepened. “Just leave him alone, Jill. I don’t want him to get hurt again.”

Jill laughed. “I really _was_ right yesterday, huh!? Well, if it means that some hot boy-on-boy action will take place, I guess I’ll stop trying to kill him...” Makoto blushed and let go of her wrist. “I hope I can take your word for it.” With that, he strolled off in the direction Togami ran in. 

Makoto walked aimlessly through the hallways of the school until he found himself in front of the art room on the third floor. Something told him to go inside, so that’s what he did. When he entered the room, he immediately took notice of Togami, who was sitting on one of the tables. Togami’s head snapped towards him, alert, but he relaxed once he realized who had entered the room. Makoto walked over to him and took a seat next to him, swinging his legs back and forth idly. 

“I got rid of Jill.” Makoto began. “I hope that she doesn’t bother you again.” Togami hummed. “Would you be able to tell me what everyone was hiding earlier?” Togami asked. Makoto thought for a moment. That idea _could_ work… “Well… not quite.” Makoto leaned closer to Togami, close enough to whisper in his ear. “The cameras.” He stated simply. Togami nodded. Makoto whispered in his ear again. “I could tell you now, but I’d have to whisper. Or we could go to the bathhouse- but if we do that, we would have to be careful. If Kirigiri finds out that I took another person to the bathhouse, she’ll have my head.” Togami let out a short laugh. Makoto smiled. He had never heard Togami laugh before. Togami turned to Makoto. “We can stay here. I’m sure you’d like to keep your head.” 

Makoto nodded and leaned in again. “So, long story short, Fujisaki fixed the laptop that we found in the library. He put an Alter Ego program on the computer to analyze the many files on it. It’s currently in the bathhouse because there are no cameras there.” Togami nodded. “I see… I appreciate that you told me.” Makoto nodded. He felt sort of giddy. It wasn’t the traditional _thank you_ , but coming from Togami, it was downright friendly. For a man of harsh words, that was really… nice of him. 

For the next little while, the two sat in silence, before they eventually parted ways for the day. 

* * *

That evening, when Makoto had returned to his dorm room, he noticed that a piece of paper had been slipped under his door. He walked over to it and his eyes scanned over the fairly neat handwriting. 

> _Meet in the dining hall!_

Makoto set the paper down on his bed and quickly retrieved his switchblade from the weapon closet at the back of his room. If he was going to meet someone in the dining hall, it was better to be safe than sorry. Makoto walked out of his room and headed towards the dining hall, cautious. 

Once he stepped inside, he took notice of Hagakure, who was standing in the middle of the room. Hagakure wanted to talk to him? “Why did you want to meet me?” He asked. “Oh, I just did what Kirigiri asked me to.” So Kirigiri wanted him here? “I’m just an errand boy on this.” Hagakure continued. “Anyways, what do ya’ say to a late-night bath session?” Makoto stood there, confused for a moment. Then, he nodded. Similar to earlier, Kirigiri must’ve gathered everyone in the bathhouse to talk about Alter Ego. The two walked down to the bathhouse together and went inside.

As soon as they stepped inside, a loud voice began to chastise them. “Hey! You! How long were you gonna’ keep us waiting!? It’s almost ten o’clock, you know that!? Bedtime for all the little boys and girls!”

Yamada clicked his tongue. “Shut up…”

“What did you say!? You wanna’ make me cry, little girl!?” Ishimaru bellowed. 

“He seems to be even worse off then I’d heard…” Makoto's head snapped in the direction of the familiar voice. He was faced with Togami, standing alongside his other classmates. _Well, that’s new._ He couldn’t help but feel proud. 

“Well, everyone’s here, right!? Then my messenger duty is complete!” Hagakure smiled. 

“You wanted us all to meet here, right Kirigiri? So, what are we all doing here?” Ogami asked.

“Isn’t it obvious!? It’s gotta’ have something to do with Alter Ego!” Hagakure said. 

Everyone’s attention turned to Kirigiri. For a moment, she was silent. “It’s gone.” She stated simply. “I came here a little earlier to check up on things, and that’s what I discovered. Alter Ego- the laptop- has disappeared.” Everyone gasped. 

“H-huh…? What…? She’s gone…?” Yamada said, panicked. 

Ishimaru yelped. “You can’t be fudgin’ serious! What did you do with him!?”

Celeste brought a finger to her chin. “Was it the mastermind? Did they finally notice what we were up to?”

Kirigiri shook her head. “I told Alter Ego to scream if he saw anyone that he didn't recognize.”

“The solution to this particular mystery is obvious…” Yamada began. “It could only have been… him!” Yamada pointed an accusing finger at Ishimaru. “Ishimaru! You stole her, didn’t you!”

“What! I’m the Ultimate Moral Compass! I would never do something like that! You’re the suspicious one here! Your nothin’ but a big, jiggling sack of fat!” 

“It wasn’t me! Everyone here knows that _you’re_ the thief!”

“Wrong! It’s you!” 

“There’s no way that either of them did it.” Kirigiri cut through the argument with her cold tone. “I told Alter Ego to yell if either Ishimaru or Yamada came into the dressing room. It was a countermeasure against the clear danger that one of them might come for it.”

Hagakure gave her a quizzical look. “Then… who did it?”

“The fundamental circumstances are becoming clear…” Togami mumbled to himself. “If it wasn’t the mastermind, and it wasn’t Ishimaru or Yamada, then quite simply, it was someone else.”

“Why would any of us want to steal Alter Ego!?” Asahina asked. 

“How about this for a reason?” Togami began. “There is a traitor among us. One of us is working for the mastermind- a spy. That’s who stole Alter Ego.”

“I-it can’t be!” Asahina exclaimed.

“I’ve actually been thinking for some time now that there might be a spy among us. The mastermind brought someone in to help keep things running smoothly.”

Makoto didn’t _want_ to believe that, but he couldn’t deny the possibility. It would make sense for the mastermind to have someone monitor their behaviour from the inside, and be able to start the game if no one else would. But… who would do that?

“I don’t care!” Yamada yelled. “I don’t care… who. Someone… anyone… please save her… I’m begging you. I just want to see her smiling face again.”

“Same here.” Tears streamed down Ishimaru’s face as he spoke. “How many times do they have to kill bro before they’re happy…? I’ll beg… I’ll scrape my head against the ground. Just please give him back!”

Kirigiri nodded. “Well, I think that Alter Ego is safe. At least for now.”

Celeste cupped her hands together. “Yes. If they wanted to destroy it, they would’ve done so right here.”

“So you’re saying whoever did it has something else in mind for him…” Ogami said. 

“That doesn’t matter! No matter what it takes, I’m gonna’ get him back! That’s my promise as a man!” Ishimaru bellowed.

Yamada let out a loud shout. “I swear I’ll save her! Using the power of love!”

Suddenly, a few chimes rang through the school, and the nighttime announcement began. Once it had concluded, Celeste took to speaking. “It is unfortunate, but we must leave the search for tomorrow. For now, everyone get some sleep.”

Kirigiri nodded. “I agree. Anything we do at night brings a higher chance of the mastermind noticing us.”

“Yeah.” Makoto started. “Ishimaru, Yamada… I get how you’re feeling right now, but it’s best if, just for tonight, you endure it.”

Celeste smiled sweetly. “Then, let us part for the night.”

And with that, everyone parted ways and retired to their dorms for the night. 

* * *

The next morning, Makoto headed straight to the dining hall to begin his search for Alter Ego. Although, when he entered, there were only three people present. “Is this it?” Ogami asked. “What happened to the others?”

“Aren’t they coming…?” Asahina said.

Ogami shook her head. “We should just wait for the others. I’m sure they’re on their way.”

They sat in silence for a while, but no matter how long they waited, no one else turned up. Makoto was plagued with worry for his absent friends. “It’s been an hour…” Asahina stated. Makoto frowned. This was really worrying. Hagakure and Celeste had never missed a day before, yet they were both nowhere to be found. And the others… No one had seen the others since yesterday.

Kirigiri took it upon herself to voice what everyone was thinking. “Something must’ve happened.” Kirigiri shook her head. “I was careless. I was too distracted by Alter Ego… But Monokuma gave us a motive. There was no way that something wouldn’t have happened eventually. ” Everyone was silent. As much as they wanted to protest, they knew that she was right. One way or another, it was almost guaranteed that one of their friends had died. It was just a matter of finding out _who._ Makoto prayed to whatever deity that would listen that it wasn’t Togami’s corpse they would have to discover. 

Kirigiri sighed. “We need to go look for the people who didn’t show up.”

O-okay…” Asahina began. “Let’s go track them down.” Without another word, they all left the dining hall, a pit of anxiety pooling in Makoto's stomach. 

“We can cover more ground if we split up,” Kirigiri said once they were in the hallway. “Ogami, you go check the dorms. Make sure to check all of the rooms. Naegi, you check the first floor. Meanwhile, I’ll check the second floor.”

Asahina nodded. “Okay. Then I’ll check the third floor.”

“Don’t take any risks. If anything happens, call for help right away.” Kirigiri said. Makoto reached into his pocket and felt around. Good. He still had his switchblade on him. “Okay, let’s go.” With that, the three split up to search the school. 

Makoto crept around the first floor, checking each room he passed along the way. Once he made it past the classrooms, he heard a loud scream. “S-someone come here!” Makoto flinched. That sounded like Asahina! He quickly sprang into action, bolting to the stairs and running up to the second floor. He dashed past the pool and ran up another floor. Asahina was standing in the hallway, and he made his way over to her. 

“N-Naegi!” 

“Asahina, what’s wrong!?”

“I-it’s awful… The rec room door was open… and when I looked inside, I saw- I saw-” She paused for a moment. “I’d better get the others, right? I-I’m gonna’ go get em’! You go on ahead, Naegi!” Before he could say anything, she rushed downstairs. Once her figure disappeared, Makoto lept into action and ran into the rec room. Once he was inside, he gasped. Celeste was sitting on the ground, clutching her arm. She groaned. 

“Gh- Naegi…”

“Celeste! What happened!?” 

“I was… stupid. I got... attacked.”

Makoto gasped. “Attacked!? By who!?”

“I am not sure. Some sort of… strange man.” Makoto raised an eyebrow. 

“A suspicious person whose existence is so unusual, I can’t help but call him strange… Without a doubt, it was some sort of strange, suspicious individual. And that man attacked me with the hammer on the ground there...” Celeste nodded in the direction of the hammer. 

Makoto walked over to her and peered at it. It was colorful- painted blue, yellow, and black. It had the words ‘justice hammer one’ printed on the front. Makoto furrowed his brows. What a strange design…

“He tried to attack me with that, but I just barely avoided the blow. Although, I still stumbled and fell. I now curse my lack of daily exercise...”

“Naegi! Celeste!” A loud voice bellowed. Then, Ogami and Asahina entered the room. “C-Celeste…” Ogami began. “What on Earth happened here?” Makoto frowned. “Apparently, she was attacked by some strange man…”

“A strange man…? Celeste, tell us everything that you can remember- and in great detail.”

“Well, it all happened earlier this morning… I woke up a bit before seven a.m. Nighttime was nearly over, so I decided that it would be okay if I decided to take a little stroll around the first floor. That is when I first saw the strange man. I was immediately wary of him. He was obviously suspicious, so I decided to follow him in secret. As I followed, I saw him go into the rec room. I tried to peek through a gap in the door… which is when he noticed me, and…”

“And that’s when you were attacked,” Ogami said. 

“It happened after seven a.m. Nighttime had just ended.”

Makoto nodded. “Then that was about an hour ago, right when we were all meeting in the dining hall.”

Celeste whimpered. “The attack caused me to lose consciousness. Then I suppose I was unconscious for about an hour.” 

“Well, I’m just glad that you weren’t hurt too badly.” Asahina said.

“That is because I begged and groveled for my life… I told him I would do anything if he spared me. I offered to lick his boots, whatever it took. Anyway, the important thing now is that we search for the suspicious individual. If we do not hurry, this could become a serious problem. When I looked in the rec room, I saw that he was not alone… with him was Yamada. After he attacked me, he dragged Yamada away.” 

“You mean… Yamada was kidnapped!?” Ogami asked.

“Listen, Celeste…” Asahina began. “Did anything particular stand out about this guy…?”

“Well…” Celeste pulled out a bright pink camera with an anime character on it. “This is a camera that Yamada gave me a few days ago… I managed to photograph the suspicious individual without him realizing it.” Celeste powered it on and handed it to them. Everyone gasped. It was a photograph of a tall man in a robot costume dragging Yamada away. 

“This photo was taken a full hour ago…” Celeste stated. “Which is why, if we don’t hurry, this could become a serious problem.”

“This is bad…! We have to hurry!” Asahina said. “Celeste, do you know where the mystery man went!?”

“When they left the rec room, they headed left…”

“Then they were heading towards the stairs to the second floor! He must be down there! We have to go!” Immediately, they all rushed down to the second floor. 

Once they had ran past the pool and were headed down the hall, a sharp familiar voice stopped them. “Hey, you two…” Togami rounded the corner, and Makoto stopped just in front of him. “What’s going on? What’s all the fuss?” Makoto breathed out a sigh of relief. “Togami! You’re okay!”

Togami rolled his eyes. “ _Of course_ I’m okay. Now, tell me what’s going on.”

“Listen, have either of you seen Kirigiri or Yamada?”

From behind Togami, Jill shook her head. “Nope, nope! Sure haven’t!”

“Are they on this floor?” Togami asked. “We just got here ourselves. I heard some kind of uproar, so I came running.”

“We came here together!” Jill swooned.

“No… you’re just stalking me.” Togami scowled. 

“Anyway, can you guys help us look for them?”

Togami’s eyes narrowed. “ _Why?_ What happened?”

Makoto shook his head. “There’s no time. I’ll tell you later.”

“Well… fine.”

Ogami hummed to herself. Celeste turned to her. “Did you hear something?”

“Maybe… I think it came from the library!”

As soon as she spoke, Makoto bolted into the library, everyone else following close behind. Once the doors had shut behind them, he gasped. “Gh… It hurts… It hurts…” Yamada exclaimed. “Yamada!” Makoto rushed over to him. “I’m glad to see… you’re still alive.” Asahina said. “It’s super bad though… look at all the blood!” Yamada yelped.

Togami scowled. “How did you get hurt?”

“That guy hit me… Robo Justice. Er, that’s what I’ve decided to call him...” Makoto nodded. So he was taken by the man in the robot suit, brought to the library, and attacked. Togami gave him a confused expression. “What are you talking about...?” Makoto sighed. This would be the best time to explain it. He turned to Togami. “Basically, a man in a robot costume attacked Celeste, kidnapped Yamada, and attacked him too.” Togami raised an eyebrow. Makoto didn’t blame him. It was as crazy as it sounded. To add to the story, Celeste showed the photo she had taken. Togami squinted his eyes at it. 

“This was the man who attacked you, was it not?” Celeste asked.

Yamada nodded. “Yes, I’m sure of it… Robo Justice!”

“Robo Justice, huh?” Togami exclaimed.

“This just keeps getting stranger…” Ogami said. 

On the ground beside Yamada, was a hammer that was similar to the one that Celeste was attacked with. It seemed like it was a size larger, and instead of having the words ‘justice hammer one’ it had the words ‘justice hammer two’ printed on it. Noticing that Makoto was eyeing the hammer, Yamada spoke. “He attacked me with that hammer. Bonked me right on the head with it…”

Celeste nodded. “We need to get Yamada to the nurse's office right away. He needs to be treated as soon as possible.” Immediately, they moved Yamada to the nurse's office.

“How ya’ feeling Yamada? Want me to take a look at ya’?” Asahina asked, concerned. “I-I’m okay… I think it stopped bleeding. I’m still kinda’ dizzy though.”

“Perhaps you should rest here for a while.” Celeste offered. 

“Y-yeah, good idea…”

“The rest of us should get back to looking for the mystery assailant.” Ogami said. 

“Before that, tell us what happened to you, Yamada.” Togami said.

“Well, I woke up early this morning and started looking for Alter Ego before everyone else. I went to the third floor, and that’s when the strange costumed man attacked me.”

Celeste nodded. “That must be what I witnessed at around seven this morning.”

“After that, he dragged me down to the library and WHACK! Down came the hammer. That must’ve been thirty or fourty minutes ago.”

Asahina crossed her arms in thought. “Then, we would’ve still been in the dining hall.”

Togami hummed. “I was in the laundry room, doing my laundry.”

“His black underwear is as black as the pitch-black darkness of the darkest night…” JIll claimed. 

Togami scowled at her. “Why do you know that…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Cuz’ I was peeking!”

As strange as Jill’s proclamations were, it gave them an alibi. They were together in the laundry room. That means that the only people without an alibi were Celeste and Yamada… as well as Hagakure and Ishimaru, who hadn’t been seen since yesterday. 

“Well, we should get going now.” Makoto said.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later, I’m going to rest for a bit…” Yamada said. 

Celeste smiled. “Understood. Take care of yourself.”

Then, they all set off to find the strange man. “So, what are we going to do?” Jill asked. “Split up and look around?” Before anyone could answer, Celeste whimpered. “ _What?_ ” Togami snapped. “I saw a shadow! Something moving around at the top of the stairs!”

“Really!?” Asahina said. “Up on the second floor, then!?”

Ogami let out a loud shout. “You bastard! You won’t get away from me!” Everyone shot towards the stairs. They ran to the second floor, stopping at the top and looking around. “He must be around here somewhere. Let’s split up and corner him!”

“But don’t take any chances. As soon as you find him, call out, and I’ll come running.” Ogami said.

With that, everyone split up and began to search for the assailant. Makoto ran down the hallway and checked the empty classroom. After finding that no one was there, he left. The moment he started down the hallway again, he heard a loud cry. It sounded like Celeste! It came from the floor above. Makoto ran to the stairs as fast as he could and made his way to the third floor. “Over here, everyone!” Celeste called. Everyone who had heard the scream came running. “Celeste, what’s wrong!?” Asahina asked. “That was a rather… intense scream for someone like you.” Togami stated. 

“I saw him…! The strange costumed man! He ran off as soon as I screamed! I was blocking the stairs, so he headed further into the hallway and disappeared!”

Suddenly, Jill sneezed. “H-huh…?” It seemed like she had just switched back to her regular self. How cliche… Then, from a couple of floors below, a loud screech startled them. It must’ve been Yamada! “We have to go back to the nurse's office!” Makoto exclaimed. 

Togami frowned. “What about the suspect? We’ve all gone to all this trouble to capture him, right?”

“Then why don’t we split into two groups?” Celeste proposed. Togami nodded. “I’ll lead the hunting party. That seems much more interesting.”

“Very well, then Naegi, Asahina, you come with me to the nurse's office. I will leave the capture of the suspicious individual to Togami, Ogami, and Fukawa.”

“Okay! Please be careful!” Makoto said. And with that, they split up, Makoto sprinting down the stairs and heading down to the first floor. 

Once they had arrived at the nurse's office and stepped inside, Asahina yelped. Laying in the center of the room, was Yamada’s corpse. His entire head was covered in blood, the lenses of his glasses tinted red. “I-it looks like something… very bad has happened...” Celeste stated. Abruptly, a few chimes rang out from the monitor. It flickered on and Monokuma appeared. “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, a class trial will begin!” The monitor switched off. 

Then… Yamada really was dead. Makoto turned his attention back to the ground to confirm his current suspicions. Next to Yamada’s body was the third ‘justice hammer.’ Then the assailant was responsible for this murder. Makoto trained his gaze onto Yamada’s body again. Was that- He could’ve sworn he saw his chest move. That shouldn’t be possible… Yamada was dead. The body discovery announcement had just played. He was probably just seeing things…

“We have to tell the others…” Celeste said. Makoto nodded. Although, he did find it strange… How could the assailant have killed Yamada if he was just spotted on the third floor? 

“You’re right.” Makoto looked over to Asahina. She was frozen with shock. “Asahina… are you okay?”

“Huh…? Sorry… I don’t think I can move right now… I’m feeling kinda’...”

Makoto nodded. “Okay. Then I’ll go and get everyone. Celeste, stay here with Asahina.” With that, Makoto ran out of the room and back up to the third floor.

Celeste had said that the assailant headed further down the hallway, so Makoto ran towards the physics lab. He didn’t see anyone on his way there, so he figured that’s where they must be. He walked inside and looked around. No one was in there… Unless they were in the equipment room. Makoto ran to the back and ripped open the door. When he rushed inside, something immediately caught his eye. Lying in a pool of his own blood, was Ishimaru’s dead body. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I was really reluctant to post it for quite a while because I felt that the quality wasn't great. I was worried that the scenes were out of place or written badly, but I just edited them until I thought that they were acceptable. You have no idea how many times I re-wrote scenes. I'd also like to preface this by saying that from here on, the update 'schedule' will be... shaky. Where I live, things are starting to go back to normal (as normal as things can be when we're in a pandemic) so I'm going to be very busy. I promise you that I will finish this story if it's the last thing I do. I have a vague plan, and I'll be trying my best to execute it, no matter how busy I get. Just keep that in mind. Secondly, I just wanted to mention that I cut the chapter off where I did because, in the game, that is where the 'deadly life' (or the trial/investigation) part begins. This was also way too long already. Next, I just wanted to add in a little idea of mine. So, you know how I sometimes mention that Makoto 'has a feeling' about something? Well, I like to think that his feeling is similar to Kiibo's inner voice, in which I am telling him what to feel so that the plot can progress. Food for thought :)
> 
> (Sorry for the random ramblings) 
> 
> Lastly, I feel like going on a little rant. So, for context, I use Grammarly to catch the rest of my mistakes last minute- but it always corrects my spelling of certain words because we spell things differently in my country. It corrects things like behaviour, colour, favourite, fourty, offence, etc. It's really annoying me, so I wanted to talk about it. Although, I've kept all of my regular spelling in, so if you noticed that I might spell things differently, it's because I don't live in the US. Grammarly can pull the 'ou' combination from my cold, dead hands.
> 
> If you made it this far, thank you! As a reward, here's my tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cosmoenot  
> Although, I haven't posted anything there. Maybe I will sometime... See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation of Yamada and Ishimaru's murder begins, and Makoto has a feeling that he knows who killed them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I'm back! I'm so sorry it took me so long to get another chapter done! I've been ridiculously busy lately and I've been struggling with a lack of motivation for writing, which caused this nearly four-month-long hiatus! I truly didn't intend for it to take me this long to finished this, but here we are! Before I say everything else I'd like to say, I just wanted to acknowledge that we've hit 500 kudos! Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me! Now I'd just like to wish everyone who celebrates it, a merry Christmas! I know that this was released a day late (I tried, I really did, but trials are tedious, okay?), but here you go! If you don't celebrate Christmas, happy whatever you celebrate, and happy new year! The year of our lord 2020 is almost over! Hallelujah! The last thing I wanted to say was that where I live is going back into lockdown for a little while because of a spike in cases, so I'll hopefully have more free time on my hands to write! Hopefully in the next week, while I'm still on break, I can get a chapter out. No promises though! (Although I will try very hard, haha) Now, without further adieu, here is the long-awaited chapter 7 of Don't Tell A Soul!

Togami’s head snapped towards the door as soon as it opened. Makoto ran inside but stopped himself once he noticed Ishimaru’s body. “Oh my god…” He said under his breath. Makoto’s eyes darted towards the other figure on the ground— Fukawa. “Is she—” Before Makoto finished his sentence, he shook his head. “I can see that she’s breathing.” Makoto turned his attention to Togami. “Did she faint?” He asked. Togami nodded. Ogami raised her eyebrows. Hopefully, she didn’t suspect anything… 

Wasting no time, Makoto spoke. “Yamada is dead— or rather, I  _ think _ he’s dead.” Togami’s eyes widened a hair. Ogami gasped. Makoto’s thoughts wandered back to a couple of days ago when Monokuma had randomly mentioned that there was a limit to how many people that someone could kill. The limit was two if he remembered correctly. Therefore, no one else could fall victim to whomever committed this crime. Although that would only be true if Yamada was truly dead. Despite the irrefutable evidence of the body discovery announcement, Makoto still had his doubts. He always caught the little details, and if he thought that Yamada was still breathing, he probably wasn’t dead. At least not yet…

That begs the question of why a body discovery announcement would even have played. He looked back down at Ishimaru’s body. Maybe the body discovery announcement was for him? 

Makoto knew that something strange was going on.

His eyes wandered to the other side of the room where he spotted another hammer, this one even bigger than the others. Justice Hammer 4. He stood there for a moment, scanning the room to find any more evidence. Nothing.

“We should go,” Togami said. Makoto nodded. They all turned to leave the room, hastily leaving the physics lab. As the door closed behind them Makoto saw Celeste a little ways down the hall. He ran up to her. “Celeste? Aren’t you supposed to be waiting in the nurse's office?” Celeste’s expression turned dark. “Something has… come up.”

“Yeah, I heard. Yamada is dead, right?” Togami stated.

Celeste shook. “Well, that’s not all. It is… gone.”

Makoto’s eyebrows raised. 

She paused for a moment as if she was working up the courage to say it. “Yamada’s body has disappeared!” She choked out.

Togami scoffed. “What are you talking about? It disappeared? Don’t be ridiculous.” Celeste stayed silent. “...Are you serious?”

“Everyone, get back to the nurse's office!” Ogami ordered.

The four of them flew down the stairs, running to the nurse's office back on the first floor.

Makoto ripped the door open and grunted. “His body’s really gone…” He said, frustrated. In the corner of the room, Asahina stood with a shocked look on her face. “Celeste and I went to the bathroom… We were only gone for like a minute! Then… when we got back...” 

Celeste sighed. “This must be the work of the culprit. They must’ve come and carried the body away. They must be enjoying this… enjoying the sight of us frightened and confused… We’re all going to die here. We’re going to die just like those guys died.” Makoto gasped. Word choice couldn’t be enough to pin a crime on someone, but for someone as particular as Celeste, she wouldn’t say something she didn’t mean to. They never mentioned that Ishimaru was dead… there was only one way she could’ve known. He’d have to find more evidence…

“I… don’t believe this,” Togami said, shocked. “A body can’t just disappear like this. First, there were two murders, then one of the bodies was taken? Something strange is going on.”

Hina gasped. “Wait— What do you mean by two murders!?”

“Ishimaru has been killed. We found him in the equipment room.” Ogami sighed.

“It can’t be!” Asahina cried. “Ishimaru too!?”

Ogami looked sadly in her direction. Asahina whimpered. “We’re all gonna’ die... All of us! They’re gonna’ kill all of us!”

“No, they’re not Asahina. We’re going to be fine…” Ogami said, trying to calm her down. Suddenly Makoto thought of something.  _ Shit! _ They left Fukawa unconscious in the equipment room! “Everyone, we need to go back to the equipment room now! We left Fukawa there!” Ogami gasped, a sorry look on her face. “We’d better go then!” They all ran back up to the physics lab, bursting through the door and into the back room. Makoto was relieved to see that Fukawa was okay, but he quickly noticed that something else was off. Ishimaru’s body was gone!

Asahina gasped. “Ishimaru’s body disappeared too?”

“Stop saying disappeared.” Togami snapped. “Clearly they didn’t vanish into thin air, whoever did this has hidden them somewhere!”

“B-but, why would they do that?”

“I couldn’t possibly begin to imagine.”

“Either way, we need to catch them before they kill us all!” Asahina said, shaking.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that. The only ones who could’ve done this are Hagakure and Kirigiri. They’ve been missing all morning.”

Makoto shook his head. “Kirigiri has an alibi for when Celeste and Yamada were attacked. She was in the dining hall with us.”

“You seem very adamant to defend her… perhaps you are in love?” Togami smirked to himself. Makoto realized that this was probably his way of teasing him, but the statement still bothered him. He wasn’t in love with Kirigiri. He was in love with someone else…

“No, we're not,” Makoto said simply.

Togami nodded. “Well anyways, I accept Kirigiri’s alibi.”

“That means that the suspicious individual we’re looking for can be none other than… Hagakure.” Celeste chimed in. Makoto wasn’t so sure about that...

“Which further means that there will be no more murders. The regulations are very clear about that.” Togami stated. Makoto once again remembered the rule that Monokuma implemented a few days ago. Only two people can get murdered. Although Makoto had a feeling that someone could still be in danger. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure that Yamada was dead…

“We should start looking for the missing bodies.” Makoto supplied. 

Celeste nodded. ‘Then let us split up and begin searching.”

Togami turned on his heels and started walking away. “Yell out if you find anything.” Makoto rushed after him, and everyone exited the room. 

As they walked down the hall, Togami turned his head to him. “Earlier you said that you _ thought _ that Yamada was dead. Not that he was, most definitely deceased. What did you mean?”

“Well, when I found his body his chest was still moving, even though the body discovery announcement had played. Maybe I was just seeing things…” Togami nodded.

They continued down the hall and into the art room. Once they had entered, Makoto began searching the room for anything useful. Once he had searched every nook and cranny in the room, he made his way to the door in the back. He turned the door handle and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. The door was locked. Strange…

“Did you see anything?” Togami asked.

“No… although, the door back here is locked… I wonder why.”

With that, they both exited the room.

They made their way over to the rec room to see if the bodies were placed there, but they found nothing.

They checked the classrooms too, but they still came up with nothing. As they exited the second classroom, they ran into Celeste who was waiting in the hallway. 

“Ah, Naegi!”

Togami scowled. “What the hell are you doing waiting around! We need to get into the repository!”

Celeste had a blank look on her face. “I found them. They were hidden in the repository.”

Without another word between them, they ran to the art room, going straight to the back and into the repository. 

Makoto swung open the door and inside were Ishimaru and Yamada’s bodies. The room reeked of blood, but Makoto didn’t flinch as he walked inside, Togami behind him. Asahina and Ogami were already inside, moping over their dead friends. Makoto frowned. He hated to see them like this…

Suddenly, the monitors flickered on and the body discovery announcement played for a second time. Now Makoto was sure that Yamada was dead. But if Asahina and Ogami had come in after Celeste, shouldn’t it have already played? 

Once the announcement concluded, Monokuma appeared and handed over the third Monokuma file. “I was going to hand it out when the first body was discovered, but I thought something might happen.” He laughed. “Now, make sure to investigate with all your mental might for the next trial! Toodles!” With that, the two-toned bear disappeared once again. 

Togami sighed. “It seems that all we need to do now is uncover the culprit. Asahina gasped. “How can you be so calm!? Our friends are dead! They’re never coming back…!” Tears started to flow down her face as she cried. She clutched at Yamada's lifeless body. “Wh-who would do this… why!?" Asahina wailed, her tears landing on Yamada’s lifeless face. Yamada’s eyes opened slowly, and his arm reached out towards her with the little strength he had left. “Where… am I? Cold… I’m so cold… Is winter coming…?”

“Y-Yamada! Wake up!” Asahina cried.

A look of understanding washed over his face. “Ah, I remember now… I remember everything…” Makoto furrowed his brows. As Yamada faced death, his memories had returned? Maybe it was the same for the others… 

“Yamada, please!”

“Before… I’d met you all... I’d met you all…” Yamada croaked.

Togami huffed. “His memories are blending together, he’s of no use to us.” Makoto thought that he wasn't exactly right… he believed that what Yamada was saying must have some weight to it. 

“The light… it's reaching out to me.”

Asahina’s cries got louder. “Yamada! Who was it!? Who attacked you!? Who tried to kill you!?”

Yamada looked confused for a moment. “Who killed me…? That's right… I remember their name… Y-Yasuhiro…” Yamada’s hand dropped to the ground and his eyes shut, the life draining out of him for good. Makoto bowed his head. At least his suffering could end.

Makoto wondered about what Yamada said. Yasuhiro? That could only mean Hagakure Yasuhiro. It checks out, he had been missing all morning, but it didn’t make sense… What reason would he have to kill Ishimaru and Yamada? As much as Makoto wouldn’t want to bad mouth him, Hagakure would be too dim-witted to plan such an intricate crime. And anyway, since when were any of them close enough to be on a first-name basis? It didn’t make sense…

Ogami broke the silence that had fallen over the room. “He said Yasuhiro, right?” Celeste nodded her head. “Hagakure Yasuhiro. That’s the only person he could’ve been referring to.”

“So with that, the case has been solved,” Togami stated. Makoto shook his head at the taller boy and he raised an eyebrow. “Not quite… I’m still not convinced it was him.” Togami nodded. “Well, we’re just going to have to track him down. Maybe you’ll be convinced then.”

> **< <INVESTIGATION: START!>>**

Makoto started off his investigation by, as always, reading the Monokuma file.

> _ Victims: Yamada Hifumi and Ishimaru Kiyotaka _
> 
> _ Cause of Death: The cause of death for each was a blow to the head. They were both killed with a similar weapon. _

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA FILE #3**

Makoto frowned. There was much less information there than last time. He wondered why… Although it should be fine, most of the events unfolded right in front of everyone. Ogami cleared her throat. “There’s something that's bothering me. Although she has an alibi for when Celeste and Yamada were being attacked, Kirigiri’s been gone ever since. I’m wondering if the killer could have an accomplice...?”

Monokuma suddenly popped up, panting. “An accomplice? Well, I’d just like to remind you that if someone did decide to become an accomplice, they wouldn’t get any gratification from it!”

“So are you saying that nobody worked together this time?” Ogami asked.

“Sorry, I can’t answer that! You’re gonna have to find that out yourselves! But I will tell you this. All you gotta do in the trial is to figure out who the true blackened is— the one who devised the plan and put it into action! Now, that's enough explaining! Time to get down to business! Good luck to all of you, I’ll see ya’ later!” And as quick as he'd arrived, he was gone.

Not that he thought that Kirigiri would be involved in this crime, but now that Monokuma had cleared everything up, he didn’t think that there was an accomplice. Or one that’s alive, at least…

Ogami hummed. “Then it’s not likely that she is connected to the case. Then we should continue investigating.”

Suddenly, Genocide Jill burst in. “I’ve been looking all over for you master! When I woke up, you were nowhere to be found!”

Togami was shocked into silence, something that only happened in the presence of Genocide Jill.

Suddenly, she turned to Asahina. “And you, milk bags!”

“Milk bags!?”

“I know you’re gonna jump to conclusions and accuse me again  _ just _ because I’ve killed  _ a few _ men… But I have an alibi!”

Togami spoke reluctantly. “Yes, she does. When we heard Yamada scream, she was with me. I also have no idea how she would’ve been able to carry Yamada’s body…”

Makoto nodded. He didn’t think that it was Jill in the first place, but something that Togami said caught his attention. Who could be strong enough to carry Yamada’s body? He had to be a few hundred pounds… The only person he could see doing that would be Ogami, but she had an alibi. Then the only other person could be… Yamada himself. But why would he move all the way to the repository? Something very strange was going on.

“On another topic, shouldn’t we post a guard by the bodies like before? We wouldn’t want them moving again.” Celeste proposed.

Ogami nodded. “Asahina and I can handle that. Are you alright with that?” She looked at Asahina. “Sure… I’d be totally useless during the investigation anyway.”

“Then that’s that,” Togami stated. “Let us begin.”

Makoto’s eyes darted towards Yamada's lifeless corpse. He sauntered over to it and kneeled down, ready to examine him. There was a pool of blood on the floor, coming from his head. The Monokuma file had said that he died from a blow to the head, which he could’ve inferred because of the Justice Hammers. Although, something was off about his body. His head specifically. Blood had dripped and splattered halfway down his face, yet his glasses were clean. It made no sense… the only way they could be clean is if someone cleaned them… but why would anyone do that?

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: YAMADA’S GLASSES**

Makoto stood up and moved onto Ishimaru's corpse. They already knew the murder weapon and the cause of death, so Makoto didn’t take any extra time examining Ishimaru’s wound. As he looked around though, he couldn’t help but notice that Ishimaru’s body was over top a tarp. A tarp that didn’t belong in the repository. He thought he saw some blue tarps in the science equipment room, but why would someone need a tarp to execute their plan? Possibly to move the body, so that no blood would get anywhere…

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: BLUE TARP**

To the right of Ishimaru’s body, there was a dolly. If you bent down, it would be easy enough to use… although it was strange that it was in there in the first place. He could’ve sworn he saw it in the equipment room right alongside those blue tarps. He even recalled tire tracks in Ishimaru’s blood. To double-check his theory, he peeked at each of the tires, and there, clear as day, was blood on one of the wheels. Things were starting to make sense.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: REPOSITORY DOLLY**

Behind Ishimaru’s body, Makoto’s eye was drawn to the wall of mallets. They looked very similar to the Justice Hammers. Makoto would even bet that the Justice Hammers were made out of these mallets. Some were missing. The ones that were present were covered in a thick chalky dust, clearly used— all except one. A singular mallet was spotless and wet. Someone had washed it recently… 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: SPOTLESS HAMMER**

Makoto walked over to Togami. “Hey, Togami? I found some evidence, and I think I’m starting to understand what happened.”

He smirked. “So you finally believe that it was Hagakure?”

Makoto frowned. “No, actually… I know what Yamada said, but it just doesn’t seem right to me.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, first of all, we haven’t even found Hagakure. I’d like to find him and assess the circumstances before I make any rash decisions. Second, I found a few strange things that might point to the culprit being someone else…”

Togami narrowed his eyes. “Like what…?”

“You see how Yamada’s glasses are clean, even though, because of how much blood dripped onto his face, they should be soaked? Someone cleaned them, and I don’t know why. Also, I have no idea how someone other than himself could’ve moved Yamada. You’re just going to have to trust me on this, okay Togami? I’m smarter than I look.”

Togami huffed. “I suppose you are. I don’t give you enough credit for that, do I? Well, I’ll just have to trust you then. I’ll trust you to change my mind.” he looked off to the side, feigning indifference. For Togami, that was a heartfelt statement. Makoto smiled warmly. He was so happy that Togami was getting closer to him. He felt like he could truly trust the boy.

As nice as this moment was for him, Makoto had many questions to answer. “I promise I won’t let you down Togami. Now, we’d better get on with investigating. I have a lot more questions I’d like t0o answer before the trial.” Togami nodded and made his way to the door. Although this time, he was much slower than usual, allowing Makoto to catch up with him so they could walk side by side. Makoto smiled softly. As they approached the door, he noticed that there was only a lock on the inside of the repository. Then whoever locked the door… was inside? 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: REPOSITORY DOOR**

As Togami and Makoto walked down the hall, they fell into a comfortable silence, their arms brushing every once in a while. Each time it happened Makoto’s heart skipped a beat. He wondered if Togami’s heart did the same…

They approached their first destination, the physics room. They both stepped inside and headed straight to the back, where Ishimaru’s body used to be. Inside the room, he noticed the blue tarps that he had seen briefly earlier, and this time there was one missing. That was where the tarp came from. “You see those tarps over there?” He asked Togami. He nodded. “That’s where the tarp under Ishimaru’s body came from. I suspect that whoever moved the bodies used it to keep blood from spilling everywhere.”

Makoto walked over to the bloodstain left on the floor. He noted the tire tracks through it. “See those tire tracks through the blood?” After Makoto had pointed out the tarps, Togami had moved behind him. He hummed. “They were made by the dolly in the repository. It had bloodstains on the wheels. They must’ve used it to move Ishimaru’s body too.” 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: EQUIPMENT ROOM BLOODSTAIN**

Makoto turned around to face Togami. “Although I’m still not sure how Yamada’s body was moved. I do have one theory but… I’ll need more evidence. Either way, I don’t think I’ve seen anything else of note in here. Let’s go to the nurse's office. I have a feeling I’ll find something else important there…”

“Alright.” Togami nodded and they walked out of the room, heading over to the stairs and going all the way down to the first floor.

Once they had entered the nurse's office, he saw Celeste waiting there. “Hey, Celeste. What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for Hagakure, how about you?”

“Well, I’m just looking around for some more evidence… although the main thing on my mind right now is how Yamada’s body was moved.”

“How he was moved, huh?”

“When he disappeared, you were in here, right?”

“Correct. Asahina wasn’t feeling well so I stayed to look after her. She seemed to be getting worse, so I took her to the bathroom. We were only gone a minute or two.”

“When you came back, Yamada was gone?”Celeste nodded. Makoto recalled that Asahina said the same thing. She clearly wasn’t lying but... Makoto just gained some more evidence to prove his theory…

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: CELESTE’S ACCOUNT**

With that, Celeste departed, off to continue searching for Hagakure. Makoto began by checking all the cabinets and compartments in the room. He felt that this room was crucial to finding that last bit of evidence he needed, he just needed to find it. Once he had circled around to the refrigerator, Makoto noticed many pouches of blood for blood transfusions. If he was right about everything, that would make sense…

The last place Makoto checked was the garbage can. He opened it and looked inside, finding something very odd. A small bloodstained piece of cloth with an anime character on it. As he looked at the cloth more, he recognized the character. It was Yamada’s favourite. So this cloth obviously belonged to him, but why was it stained with blood? Possibly because it was used to clean off his glasses. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: GLASSES CLEANING CLOTH**

Makoto felt that the pieces were finally falling into place. He turned his head towards the door silently signalling that he was finished with the room, and Togami followed him. Once they were out in the hall Togami stopped him. “We should go investigate somewhere else before the trial.” Makoto raised an eyebrow. “Where do you wanna go?” 

“Hagakure’s room. I’ve started to understand what you think happened… If you're correct then I’m sure we’ll find something useful in his room.” Makoto nodded. He was probably right. With that, they headed over to the dorms. 

When they made it to Hagakure’s dorm, it was surprisingly unlocked. It seems like Makoto was really adjusting to being the Ultimate Lucky Student. Maybe he really  _ was _ the Ultimate Lucky Student in some sort of alternate universe? They both walked inside and there were many strange things littered across the room. They didn’t have anything to do with the case though, that was just Hagakure…

Although, next to the foot of the bed there was a small stack of boxes. Makoto immediately walked over to them and opened them. There was one box full of blueprints. Blueprints for Robo Justice! There was another box full of things made of cardboard and plaster! These were the supplies used to make Robo Justice! They were also In Hagakure's room! That still wasn’t enough to convince Makoto that he was the killer though. 

Suddenly, Togami tapped him on the shoulder. “Naegi, I have something to give you for your… help.” He handed over a folded paper that read ‘Meet in the dining hall!’ in neat writing. Makoto recognized the letter as the one that Hagakure gave them the night they all gathered together. He compared the handwriting on the letter to the blueprints immediately, looking to confirm or disprove the evidence. The handwriting didn’t match. Compared to Hagakure’s very neat letters, the blueprints had something you could only call chicken scratch on it. The handwriting looked nothing alike, and even if he could fake the writing style, there's only so much you can do. These weren’t written by the same person. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: HAGAKURE’S MESSAGE**

Makoto looked up at Togami. “Hagakure has been framed,” Togami smirked. “That only took you a few seconds to put together. Maybe you’re closer to being on my level than I thought you were.” Makoto blushed lightly. Togami kept saying such nice things to him today… Was he feeling alright?

“A-anyways, we should leave now. We’ve got the information we need.”

Togami nodded, his smirk fading, but the remnants of it staining his lips. 

They both walked out of the room only to run into Asahina. 

“Naegi! Big News! We found Kirigiri!”

Makoto gasped. “Where is she?”

“Wait! I wasn’t done. I have  _ more  _ big news!”

“We found Robo Justice too! Hagakure was wearing that costume! Head to the pool on the second floor as quick as you can!” With that, the high energy girl sprinted off. Makoto sighed. It might be harder than he thought to convince everyone that Hagakure wasn’t the culprit. “Let’s go Togami. I wanna see if I can clear this up before the trial so that we don’t waste time.” With that, they walked to the pool. 

Once they entered the rooms, they quickly made their way to the back where everyone was crowded around a locker. It was nice to see that Kirigiri was okay. Hagakure suddenly sighed from within the bulky robot suit he happened to be trapped in. “Man, I’ve just had the worst day…” Kirigiri’s cold voice cut through the room. “I found Hagakure. He was jammed into the pool locker. He looked like he was fast asleep so I kicked him and woke him up.”

“I still can’t believe you kicked me! You coulda’ been more gentle about it…”

“Anyway…” Makoto began. “Where have you been Kirigiri?”

She paused. “There was something I had to check up on.” Makoto raised an eyebrow. He knew that she was secretive and elusive, but shouldn’t she know that sounding so suspicious wouldn't be a good idea? “Nevermind.” She concluded. “More importantly… Hagakure. You need to explain to us why you’re dressed like that.”

“Well, one second I was asleep, which I don’t even know how  _ that _ happened… then I woke up and I was here…”

Togami scoffed. “I don’t care. Do something about that costume, it pains me to look at you.”

“I dunno’ what’s up with this thing, but I can’t actually get it off! A little help here!?”

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “Why would you make something that you couldn’t get out of yourself?”

“I didn’t make this friggin’ thing!”

“There’s a clasp in the back preventing you from taking it off,” Kirigiri interjected. “It looks pretty sturdy, I don’t think you’d be able to get it off on your own. We don’t really have a choice. Let’s help him.” It took everyone's help, but they were slowly able to get Hagakure out of the suit. 

“Whew, free at last!” Hagakure beamed.

Asahina frowned. “Isn’t it kinda’ weird how perfectly that suit fits him? I don’t think anyone else would be able to wear it…”

“W-wait, hold on a sec…!”

Celeste glared at him. “Don’t try to play innocent. The blueprints were in your room too.”

“Then the person who killed everyone really was Hagakure!?” Asahina yelled. 

Celeste looked to the side. “Shall we tie him up and gag him?”

Asahina seethed. “Good idea… that way he can’t kill anyone else…”

“T-tie me up!? I think that's going a little too far…”

Kirigiri nodded. “He may be a suspect but he deserves fair treatment.”

“Yeah, I mean, killing? Blueprints? I have no idea what you guys are talking about.” Hagakure gave everyone a confused look. 

“It doesn’t even matter what you say!” Asahina said. “It’s obvious to everyone that you did it! You're the only one who can fit in that suit, so you're the only one who could be the costumed attacker!”

Hagakure furrowed his brows, raising his voice. “How do you know that it’s not someone else!? Why don’t you try on the suit and see for yourself!”

“Maybe I will!” Asahina walked over to the discarded pieces and started slipping them on. They were very big on her, barely holding on. “See, it’s way too big! And anyways, you can’t even bend at the waist! What a huge oversight!” With those words, Makoto knew for certain that Hagakure was innocent. If the suit couldn’t bend at the waist, and it couldn’t be taken off without assistance, then Hagakure couldn’t have done it.

Asahina huffed and removed the suit. “No one else but Hagakure could wear the suit!”

“W-well maybe there's another suit! One that looks the same!” He stuttered. 

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “Then show us some evidence.”

Hagakure faltered. 

“Who cares!?” Asahina began. “Hagakure is the only one without an alibi here!”

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: ROBO JUSTICE COSTUME**

“Can someone just tell me what's going on!?” Hagakure pleaded. “I get that someone died… but who?”

Makoto sighed. “Both Ishimaru and Yamada are dead.”

“What!?” He screeched. “Both of them!?”

Asahina furrowed her eyebrows. “Why are you surprised? You did it.”

“You’ve got it all wrong! I’m telling you I didn’t do anything!” Suddenly his eyes flashed with realization. “Last night a weird note slipped under my door. This is what it said…  _ ‘I found a hole that we could use to escape. Monokuma can’t find out, so don’t tell anyone for now. Let’s meet at the rec room at 1 am.’ _ The last thing I remember is going to the rec room, then I fell asleep. The real killer probably drugged me or something!”

Kirigiri nodded. “He could be onto something. The nurse's office did have chemicals that could do that…”

“Wh-really?” Asahina looked remorseful.

“I told you that someone trying to set me up!”

“Well- show us the note then!” Asahina said.

“Can do! I have it right here in my… pocket. Huh. It’s not there anymore… Looks like I lost it…”

“ _ Yeah. sure. _ ”

“P-please believe me! I’m telling the truth!”

Celeste gave him a cold smirk. “Like I said before. If you want us to believe you, you must procure evidence.” Hagakure faltered once more. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: HAGAKURE’S ACCOUNT**

Togami sighed. “Now then, shall we resume our investigation? There’s no time to waste before the trial.” With that, everyone left to continue their investigation with what little time they had left.

Before Makoto left though, Kirigiri stopped him. “Naegi, do you have a second?” He nodded. “What do you need?”

“I want you to help me with the investigation. I got a late start on this one, so I need to make up some ground.”

Makoto smiled at her. “Sure, I don’t mind helping, but can you promise me something? Later when you have time, can you tell me why you disappeared?”

“No. Anyway, I need your help. Do you mind?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Thanks. Now then, shall we?” She turned on her heel, her long lavender hair swishing behind her. “He followed her towards the door, but stopped for a second to talk to Togami. “Hey, did you wanna come with Kirigiri and I? I was gonna help her out with her investigation.” Togami’s eyes hardened. “No. I have my own things to attend to. You go have fun with your girlfriend.” With that, he walked away. Makoto frowned. Why was he so snappy all of a sudden? He knew that this is how he usually was, but he thought that Togami had been warming up to him. Why was the mere mention of Kirigiri’s name enough to draw him back into his steel shell? Maybe he still didn’t trust her. Not that he blamed him. He wasn’t sure if he even trusted her that much. But he figured he needed to give her the benefit of the doubt. He was hiding a huge secret from everyone. 

Careful to not let her get too far, Makoto ran after Kirigiri.

Once they were in the hall, Kirigiri turned to him. “So, Naegi. First I’d like to examine the corpses. Dead bodies don’t lie, you know. They tell the truth easier than living. Wouldn’t you agree?” He did. He wasn’t sure if it would make her suspicious or not, but against his better judgement, he nodded his head. “Anyway,” She began. “We need to hurry. The class trial will be starting soon. Now, show me where the bodies are.” With that they made their way up the stairs and to the art room, going straight to the repository. Without hesitation, Kirigiri made her way over to the bodies, poking and prodding at them in a similar fashion to Makoto. Her talent must have something to do with dead bodies too… “Naegi, I found something.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you remember the wristwatch that Ishimaru used to wear on his left hand?” Yes, yes he did. He was even more sure that she had something to do with crimes now… He nodded. “It’s broken. The hands aren’t moving. It most likely broke when he had his encounter with the assailant. The hands are frozen just past 6 o’clock.”Makoto nodded. “I remember that his watch wasn’t broken last night,” She recounted. He nodded once more. So Ishimaru died at around 6 am?

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: BROKEN WRISTWATCH**

“And that's not all,” She continued. “Look at his right hand. He seems to be gripping something.” Makoto peered at his hand. It looked like paper… He reached down and pried it out. It was a corner of a piece of paper that had been ripped off. He wondered why it was there… 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: ISHIMARU’S SCRAP OF PAPER**

“Let’s check Yamada’s body now.” She instructed. “I’m sure he’s left some clues of his own.”

After a while of searching Yamada’s corpse, Kirigiri looked up at Makoto. “Have you found anything?” He asked. “I found more than I expected to, actually. Look at this.” She held up a balled-up piece of paper. “Yamada had it hidden on him. That makes me think that he didn’t want anyone to see it.” He took the ball of paper from Kirigiri and unfurled it, reading what was on it. It said  _ ‘I found a hole that we could use to escape. Monokuma can’t find out, so don’t tell anyone for now. Let’s meet at the rec room at 6 am.’  _ It was very similar to the letter Hagakure was talking about earlier! To make things even better, a corner of the paper had been torn off. This could possibly clear Hagakure’s name, proving that his letter, or a letter like it, actually existed.

It was very clear that this letter was intended for Ishimaru, and most likely from Yamada, because he was clutching onto that scrap of paper so tightly, and the fact that Yamada had hidden the letter.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: THE NOTE YAMADA HAD**

“I have one more thing to tell you,” Kirigiri stated. “The E-handbooks have nothing to do with how the murders were carried out, but they may come up in the trial. Keep this in mind.” Makoto nodded. He wasn’t sure how they would come into play, but he knew that Kirigiri had a reason for telling him that.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: E-HANDBOOK**

As if he was waiting for his cue, the monitors flickered on and Monokuma popped up on the screen. “It’s time for the class trial to begin! Everyone, please meet at the usual spot, the red door on the first floor!” He laughed. “See you soon!” 

Kirigiri turned to Makoto. “Well, I suppose we should go then.” She turned on her heel and started walking away, Makoto hot on her trail. They made their way to the first floor and stepped inside the large red doors where everyone was psyching themselves up for the trial. Once everyone had entered the waiting room, Monokuma popped up. “If everyone’s ready, go ahead and board the tra— I mean— elevator.”

Everyone walked onto the old, creaky elevator, and as the last person entered the doors shut. They started to descend to the trial room and took a deep breath in. He knew that he could prove Hagakure innocent, and uncover the true culprit. Soon the trip was over and the doors opened once again, opening to a newly decorated trial room. As they all stepped up to their podiums Monokuma chuckled. “With all of you gathered here like this, I realize just how few of you are left! Your school life is slowly reaching its climax!”

Togami huffed. “Stop goofing around and begin the trial…!”

“ _ Okay _ … let’s begin.”

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: IN SESSION!>>**

Monokuma began the trial as always, explaining the rules. Then, once he had finished, they jumped into the debate. “We already know who did it!” Asahina claimed. 

“It was Hagakure.” Celeste supplied. “He does not have an alibi for when the murders took place, and we found him in that suit.”

“I didn’t kill anyone! Someone knocked me out! I was asleep the whole time! I didn’t know anything about it!”

Celeste sighed. “I’m sorry to say Hagakure, but we have evidence. Blueprints for the suit, parts we assume were used to build it, all of it was found in your room. The evidence is quite compelling.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I— I don’t know! I don’t know!”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: HAGAKURE’S MESSAGE**

“Can we really be sure that Hagakure made those blueprints?” Makoto stated. “Take a look at this.” Makoto fished out the paper that Togami had given him earlier. “This is a note that Hagakure wrote to all of us the night we all met up. The handwriting doesn’t match!”

Kirigiri nodded. “There’s no way you could think the same person wrote them.”

Celeste looked off to the side. “Unless that person made an effort to disguise their writing.”

“No, the differences are bigger than that,” Ogami stated.

Asahina looked over at Makoto. “So, Naegi… are you saying that you don’t think that Hagakure is the culprit?”

“He’s not the only one. I think that Hagakure is innocent as well.” Togami said. Makoto gave him a small smile. He was glad to see that he was still on his side. 

“Then who was in that Robo Justice suit!?” Asahina asked. 

“The only person that could’ve been in it was Hagakure,” Makoto stated.

“That doesn’t make sense, you _ just _ said Hagakure didn’t do it!”

Togami scowled. “It makes perfect sense. Hagakure was the suspicious individual in the suit, but he’s not the culprit. The culprit in this case has nothing to do with who was in the Robo Justice suit.”

Celeste frowned. “And what reason do you have to make such a statement.? You do have a reason, yes?”

“Of course.”

“First we should clarify something,” Makoto interjected. 

“What needs to be clarified?” Ogami asked. 

Togami’s eyes narrowed. “We must clarify the mode of transportation for Ishimaru’s lifeless body.” Makoto nodded. 

“The corpse was used using a couple of particular items.” Naegi began.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BLUE TARP**
> 
> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: REPOSITORY DOLLY**

“His body was moved using a blue tarp and a dolly from the equipment room in the physics lab. The culprit most likely saw them there and decided to use them to move Ishimaru’s body to the repository.”

“You’re saying that you think the dolly was used to move his body?” Celeste started. “Are you sure you aren’t mistaken? That dolly was made for wheeling heavy sculptures from the art rooms to the repository, so how could it have made its way to the equipment room? 

“I’m  _ not  _ mistaken. I have proof.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: EQUIPMENT ROOM BLOODSTAIN**

“Ishimaru’s bloodstain in the equipment room has tire tracks running through it, and I’m sure they came from the dolly.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: REPOSITORY DOLLY**

“When I was looking around in the repository earlier, I noticed that one of the dolly’s wheels was covered in blood. The dolly was definitely used to move Ishimaru’s body.”

Not wasting any time, Togami spoke. “Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get back to the main subject.”

“Yeah… Who could possibly be the culprit if Robo Justice isn’t?” Asahina asked. 

“I’d be happy to explain why the occupant of the suit couldn’t be the killer. If you look at how the body was transported, it should be obvious.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: ROBO JUSTICE COSTUME**

Togami gave him a look and he took that as his cue to jump in. “To use the dolly, the killer would’ve had to bend down to push it, but the Robo Justice suit couldn’t bend at the waist!”

Celeste sighed. “Well, what's to stop you from pushing the dolly with your feet?”

“When you can’t even see your feet? How could you kick a dolly all that way?”

Togami pushed his glasses up his nose. “Besides, if you were wearing such a rigid suit, I don’t imagine that you’d have the dexterity to wrap a body in a tarp.”

“You also couldn’t take the suit off by yourself, so getting out of the suit to do it would be impossible too,” Naegi added.

“So it really wasn’t Hagakure?” Asahina wondered.

“Hold on, I think you've forgotten about the picture I took,” Celeste mentioned. “You’ve taken a good look at it, have you not? It clearly shows Yamada getting dragged away by Robo Justice! If whoever is in the suit isn’t the culprit, then how do you explain that? Besides, do you remember what the now-deceased Yamada said? As long as those facts exist, the proper conclusion is beyond question.”

“It’s still far too early to reach a conclusion.” Kirigiri stepped in. “And anyway, before we reach a verdict, isn’t it best to explore every possibility? Our lives are at stake.” 

“But, where do we go from here?” Ogami questioned.

“Well, since all of the events that have occurred are exceptionally complicated, I think that we need to consider each murder a separate situation. From there we can uncover the contradictions surrounding all of them. Now then, let’s get started at the beginning with what happened to Ishimaru. Regarding Ishimaru’s death… I wonder if he died first, or if it was Yamada?”

“We know exactly what order they died in! Ishimaru dies last because of the order of the Justice Hammers!” Asahina proposed.

“Hold on a minute,” Makoto said. “There’s no reason to assume that the hammers were used in the order of their numbers. If anything, it’s just another way the culprit was trying to disguise their actions.”

“Okay then.” Togami began. “Let’s see proof.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BROKEN WRISTWATCH**

“When Kirigiri and I examined Ishimaru’s corpse, we discovered that his wristwatch was broken. It probably broke when he had his run-in with the culprit. The hands were stopped at 6 o’clock. The last time we saw Ishimaru alive, which was near 10 pm yesterday evening, his watch wasn’t broken, therefore he must’ve died at 6 am this morning, proving that he died first.”

Togami gave a satisfied smirk. “Good work.”

“And that means that Ishimaru was killed before any of the other incidents,” Kirigiri added. “Although, if Ishimaru was killed before 6, then everyone’s alibi’s for this murder go out the window.”

“Then what should we do now?” Makoto asked.

“Well for now, if we keep fixating on who did it, we’ll keep going in circles. So instead of  _ who, _ I propose we start talking about _ how.  _ In particular, I think we need to focus on how Yamada’s body got moved.”

Makoto knew exactly how Yamada’s body got from the first floor to the third floor in a matter of minutes. He moved himself.

“There is one way… If the body were to move itself . It’s the only way it's possible.”

Togami nodded. “What he means is that Yamada was still alive, even though we thought he was dead.”

“You’re saying that Yamada walked out of the nurse's office on his own!?” Ogami said.

Asahina looked puzzled. “But, I mean… We found his body! He was dead!”

“Perhaps he was simply playing dead.”

“It is not possible,” Celeste stated. “We all heard the body discovery announcement. Yamada’s dead body had been found.”

Makoto shook his head. “At around the same time, Togami, Ogami, and Fukawa were in the equipment room, where they found Ishimaru’s body. It’s possible that the announcement was for Ishimaru, not Yamada.”

Togami nodded. “Also, If there were two bodies, there should’ve been two announcements, correct? Monokuma doesn’t seem to be the type to do things without purpose.”

“Correctamundo! Although this is a rather sensitive issue, so I can’t go into too much detail… But what I will say, is that the announcement only plays when three or more people find a body for the first time!”

Togami nodded. “That clear thing up. He said it only broadcasts when people find the body the first time. A second announcement would only have played later on if one of them had finally died. And that it did.”

“That was when both bodies were discovered for the second time.  _ That  _ was the announcement for Yamada’s body.” Makoto added.

Celeste put a hand over her mouth. “Honestly, I do not think that can prove that he was still alive.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Makoto stated. “I have proof.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: YAMADA’S GLASSES**

“There was a difference in Yamada’s corpse when we found him in the repository.” Makoto looked over at Togami and he smirked, prepared to continue for him. “Although blood had splattered nearly halfway down his face, his glasses were clean.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULL** **ET: GLASSES CLEANING CLOTH**

“When I was in the nurse's office, I even found a bloody glasses cleaning cloth in the garbage. It had Yamada’s favourite anime character on it, leading me to believe that he cleaned his glasses with it so that he could see.”

Ogami nodded. “I see your point. And the only people who wear glasses here are…”

Togami scowled. “I wouldn’t be caught dead using a tacky piece of garbage like that.”

Jill crossed her arms. “A few tissues is all I need to keep my glasses clean!”

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “Even if his cloth was used, it doesn’t mean that he was the one who wiped the blood off.”

“But who would benefit from a pair of clean glasses other than the owner?” Makoto frowned. Didn’t she realize that the culprit was painfully obvious? She was just making things harder than they needed to be…

“If all of this is true,” Kirigiri began. “Then the impossible task of moving Yamada’s corpse suddenly becomes possible, does it not?”

“But what about all that blood?” Asahina asked. “If he really wasn’t dead, what was it? Paint or something.”

Makoto furrowed his brows, thinking back to what he found earlier. “No, it was definitely blood. But it is possible for him to have accessed blood, considering where he was. When I was in the nurse's office earlier I noticed that there was a refrigerator full of blood packets. He could’ve taken one and doused himself in it to fake his own death.”

Kirigiri nodded. “And if Yamada was still alive, Ishimaru’s disappearance suddenly makes sense.  _ He _ was the one who moved Ishimaru’s body.”

“When we were all occupied in the nurse's office, he took that time to move both himself and Ishimaru into the repository,” Togami added. 

Makoto nodded to himself. “That also explains why the repository was locked. It only locks from the inside, so Yamada must’ve locked it behind him.”

“So, Yamada wasn’t just another victim in this case— he was one of the assailants,” Kirigiri said coolly. 

Makoto looked around the room, seeing everyone's expressions morph into ones of shock. 

“If you're having trouble believing it, how about I show you one more piece of evidence.” Kirigiri proposed. “You know what I’m talking about, right Naegi? Remember the item Yamada took off of Ishimaru’s lifeless body?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: THE NOTE YAMADA HAD**

Makoto nodded. “Yamada had a note hidden away that we have reason to believe belonged to Ishimaru. The note read something very similar to the note that Hagakure was referring to earlier, although instead of asking to meet at 1 am, it asked to meet at 6 am.” 

Celeste frowned. “And, what is your reasoning then? If Yamada was the one who had it hidden, wouldn’t it be for him?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: BROKEN WRISTWATCH**

“First of all, the note asked whoever it was for to meet them at 6 am, which is the time that Ishimaru was killed. The note also said to meet in the equipment room, which is where Ishimaru was murdered.”

Ogami nodded. “Ishimaru was murdered at the time and place written in the note…”

  
  


> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: ISHIMARU’S SCRAP OF PAPER**

“Second of all, Kirigiri and I found a scrap of paper held tightly in Ishimaru’s right hand. If you notice, the note that Yamada had had a corner of the page ripped off. This makes me think that Yamada took the note from Ishimaru’s corpse, therefore incriminating him further. The only reason he would have to take it and hide it would be if it was written by him.”

“Exactly,” Kirigiri smirked. 

“So then, who killed Yamada?” Asahina asked. 

“Well,” Kirigiri started. “I’m sure it was the person he was working with. The mastermind behind the crime. He most likely was killed a bit after he had moved Ishimaru’s body…”

“So he was killed after he moved Ishimaru’s body, and before we found both of them in the repository?” Ogami clarified. Kirigiri nodded. 

“During that time we’d all split up and were searching for Ishimaru’s missing body. During that time, none of us have alibis. Well, most of us don’t. I for one was with Naegi the whole time, I can assure you that he didn’t do it.”

“And Ogami and I were together! I can also confirm that Naegi and Togami were together. We saw them in the repository.”

“This is bothering me too, but there's something else bothering me more!” Hagakure said. “The murder weapon that killed Yamada. It was nowhere to be found on the scene! And to get one of the Justice Hammers just to kill him would be super risky!”

“He’s right, I don’t understand it either,” Ogami said. 

Makoto sighed. “I have an explanation. I’m almost one hundred percent sure what the culprit used to kill him.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: SPOTLESS HAMMER**

“In the repository, there was a wall of mallets used for making sculptures. All of them were covered in a thick chalky dust, clearly used. All except one. One of the mallets was spotless and wet. Whoever killed Yamada must have hit him over the head with it and then washed it.”

“So now all we have to do is figure out who betrayed Yamada!” Asahina said.

Celeste twirled her hair around her finger. “Hold on a moment. I still think it's strange to assume that someone was working together with him. Thinking back to how Monokuma explained things to us, it's unthinkable that someone would work with someone else to commit a murder.”

Kirigiri shook her head. “That doesn’t apply if there is more than one murder.”

“Yeah. I think it’s possible that people would work together if they committed a murder separately. It seems that Yamada was waiting for his partner in crime to commit another murder, but in turn he was betrayed.”

Kirigiri nodded. “There’s no benefit to being someone's accomplice if there’s nothing in it for you, so what Naegi is proposing is entirely possible.”

“And because of how it was set up, they made it look like a single set of circumstances all carried out by one person! That should’ve ensured that they would both get away with it and get to leave.” Makoto added. 

“I’d even bet that betraying Yamada was intended from the beginning,” Togami stated. 

Ashina gasped. “That’s horrible! Who would do that!?”

“Celeste,” Makoto said simply. It didn’t need much explaining. Even some light thinking about this whole predicament would make it very clear that she was the culprit. Seriously though, he thought she was supposed to be a master at lying! Talk about bad writing. What?

“So I'm the suspicious individual now, am I? What a cruel joke.” 

Makoto’s frown deepened. “Don’t play innocent with me Celeste. It’s painfully obvious that you did it. I’ve known from the beginning. I honestly thought you were a better liar than  _ that… _ ”

Makoto thought he saw her mask slip for a split second, but it was back in place before he could linger on it too much. “So what you're saying is I specifically chose to work together with Yamada? The idea that I would choose to spend any of my precious time interacting with him...” Suddenly her personality changed drastically. “That I would go within _ ten feet _ of that shit-for-brains! That lazy, worthless, goddamn  _ idiot! _ ” She cleared her throat. “Ah, pardonnez-moi."

Togami glared at her. “Just to be clear, there is evidence to support it.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You and Yamada were the only ones that had ever come into contact with the assailant. Considering what we’ve learned so far, It further cements that you worked together!”

“Are you saying that everything they told us was a lie!?” Asahina wondered.

He nodded. “The only reason we knew that there was a costumed assailant is because of both of them. And the only person that had spotted the assailant when we were searching for them was Celeste. There is no way to confirm if she was telling the truth because she was the only one who spotted them. It’s only logical to assume that they were lying. You also might’ve noticed that the only reason we split off into two groups was because Celeste suggested it, leading us to discover both bodies at the same time.”

Everyone gasped.

“Celeste’s screams could’ve also been to signal Yamada.”

Makoto nodded. “Not to mention that when we discovered Yamada's body in the nurse's office, Celeste said something very strange. She worded one of her sentences in such a way that led me to believe that she knew about Ishimaru’s death, even though no one had told her about it. She said,  _ ‘They must be really enjoying this, the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused. We’re all going to die here. Just like those guys died.’ _ ” Makoto paused for a moment and Celeste opened her mouth to speak, but before she could he started his rebuttal. He knew what she was going to say. He stared her dead in the eyes as he spoke. 

“As for the photo that she took,” Makoto began. “It’s possible that they could’ve staged it. If you look at it without the context of what Celeste claimed, you could say that Yamada wasn’t being dragged away by Robo Justice, rather than Yamada was the one dragging Robo Justice.”

Celeste grew visibly angrier by the second.

“Asahina also mentioned that Celeste had taken to the bathroom for a minute or two before Yamada’s body disappeared, correct?” Togami asked.

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well so she took me there…”

Togami smirked. “She was just creating an opportunity for her accomplice to continue on with their plan. How devious. You see, each piece isn’t much by itself, but when put together it becomes a very ugly picture. Wouldn’t you agree, Celeste?”

She was shocked into silence for a moment and Togami smirked. “Then I suppose this is checkmate.”

“Checkmate…?” She paused and started to giggle daintily into her hand. Her giggles slowly became louder, faker, and more unhinged. “Checkmate!? Don’t make me laugh, you idiot! Checkmate!?” She screeched. “Clearly you want to cram me into your little _ ‘guilty’ _ box! Well, there’s one small problem! Yamada’s words as he lay dying! He clearly told us that the culprit was Hagakure Yasuhiro!”

Kirigiri looked to the ground for a moment. “Sure, he said ‘Yasuhiro,’ but can we be so quick to point the finger at Hagakure?”

“What the hell are you talking about!? I’ll burn you alive!”

Makoto ignored Celeste’s threat to Kirigiri. “Kirigiri has a point. I never recalled Hagakure and Yamada being close enough to be on a first-name basis… it’s just very odd. Someone here must have the last name Yasuhiro…”

Celeste looked uncomfortable. “I’m sure it was just incidental— by chance he just— his first name…!”

“It wasn’t by chance… There was no reason for him to do that.” Makoto began. “It was purposeful, and I think I know who it could apply to.”

“Who?” Ogami questioned.

“Celeste. She never once told us what her real name is.”

“Wh— What did you just say?” Celeste’s voice wavered. “To take your false accusations so far… I don’t know whether to laugh or spit… Come on! Enough with your idiotic blather! Yasuhiro is a loser's name! Do I look like a loser to you!?” She yelled. “Well!? DO I!?” Everyone was silent. “What!? I think I’ve earned the right to be a little on edge!”

“Okay then… fill us in. What’s your real name?” Makoto pushed. 

“Fine! Make sure your earholes are  _ wiiiiide  _ open and listen up! My real name is Celestia Ludenberg! Could you PLEASE stop making me repeat myself over and over again!?

“But the only person who could have that last name is you…” Ogami stated. 

“How many times do I have to tell you… My name is  _ Celestia Ludenberg _ goddamnit!”

Togami scowled. “How long are you going to carry on pretending!”

“I told you, I’m not. It’s the truth! There’s no way you can contradict me!”

Makoto doubted that. It seems that Kirigiri’s advice from earlier would come in handy now.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: E-HANDBOOK**

“If you're so adamant that you’re telling the truth, you wouldn’t mind showing us your e-handbook, would you?” Makoto stated.

Celeste looked even angrier. “Th— That’s an invasion of privacy! I refuse to cooperate!”

Makoto sighed. “Celeste, can you  _ please _ just tell us what really happened.”

Suddenly her mask snapped back on and she smiled calmly. “Even when I am put in check, it is not in my nature to give up.” Her mask began to slip again. “Because, because, because, because, because—! Until the game’s over, you never know what might happen!”

Makoto furrowed his brows. She was making it harder than it needed to be. “Fine then, I’ll settle this. Let me go over the case from beginning to end. Maybe then you’ll realize that I have you cornered.”

> **< <CLOSING ARGUMENT!>>**

“Before anything, the killer persuaded someone else to help carry out the murder. That person was Yamada. With an accomplice, the killer was able to execute a number of otherwise impossible schemes.”

“First they convinced Hagakure to meet them in the rec room at one in the morning. The duo intended to pass Hagakure off as the prime suspect. So when they met up with him, they drugged him, knocked him, out, and stuffed him into the Robo Justice suit.”

“Next Yamada positioned himself to make it look like he was being attacked by Robo Justice. While the killer used a digital camera to take a photo of the ‘assault.’ They did all this just to create evidence that would incriminate Hagakure. When they were done with him, they shoved him, still unconscious, into the pool locker.”

“At 6am they called Ishimaru into the equipment room where Yamada murdered him. The murder weapon was Justice Hammer 4, which Yamada left at the scene. It was left there to create confusion about the order of the crimes.”

“So, next they falsified two more assault incidents. For these ‘attacks’ the killers pretended to be victims to solidify Robo Justice as the suspect. The first fake incident was the attack in the rec room. There the killers wanted us to see Justice Hammer 1 and the Robo Justice picture they’d taken. They wanted to make sure we bought the ‘surprise attack’ story.”

“The second fake incident was the attack in the library. This time, they planted Justice Hammer 2 and an ‘injured’ Yamada to sell us that story. With these incidents, the killers were able to create a certain preconception in our minds… That the suspect was increasing the size of the hammers and attacking people in order as they did.”

“While we searched for the assailant, we left Yamada alone in the nurse's office. That’s exactly what Yamada was hoping for. He took a blood packet from the refrigerator and Justice Hammer 3 and turned the room into a crime scene, in which he himself had been murdered. He let out a scream to draw us back and when we returned, that’s what we found. Meanwhile, the other group that had been out searching had found Ishimaru’s body at the same time. So when we heard the body discovery announcement, we naturally assumed that it was for Yamada.”

“We left the nurse’s office, and Yamada once again took advantage of the situation. He simply got up and made his escape. When we learned that his body had disappeared, we all ran back to the nurse’s office. Once again, Yamada had the chance he was waiting for. This time he snuck into the equipment room, wrapped Ishimaru’s body in a tarp and used the dolly to move it to the repository.”

“Although, Yamada didn’t know what the killer had in mind for the final act. Their plan all along was to kill Yamada and get rid of the one person who could betray them. They did it using one of the mallets in the repository.”

“That covers everything that happened in this case... and the person who did it all was Celeste! Sorry, you lose!”

“I… Lost? I lost…!? When was the last time I was forced to utter such words…? They hang heavy around my neck…”

“Then you admit it?” Makoto asked.

“...I, Celestia Ludenberg— actually, no. I, Yasuhiro Taeko, have lost.”

“So you’ve _ finally  _ accepted it?” Togami said, exasperated.

“I’m the kind of person, once I’ve lost, I don’t like things to drag on.”

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: END!>>**

“Okay, Monokuma. I’m ready to begin. Or, no… I suppose this is the end, isn’t it?”

It is indeed the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Time to vote! Okay? Okay! Go ahead and cast your votes!”

Makoto quickly got it over without hesitation.

“Hmm… When all the votes are counted, I wonder who you chose as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one!? What’s it gonna _ be _ !?”

The familiar slot machine popped up and started to spin, eventually landing on Celeste—  _ Yasuhiro’s _ face.

“That’s right! The blackened who devised this whole stinkin’ scheme was Celestia Ludenberg, or, more precisely, Yasuhiro Taeko!”

Celeste frowned. “I lost… well, that sucks. I guess trying to work with someone else was a mistake, after all. Yamada’s ineptitude was beyond my calculations.”

“So you really did approach Yamada with this plan?” Kirigiri asked. “How did you get him to agree? I can’t imagine he would happily agree to commit murder. Did you use… you know?”

Monokuma moped in the corner, out of the loop.

“I knew you’d figure it out Kirigiri. You’re correct, I used  _ her _ .” Makoto nodded in understanding. They were talking about Alter Ego. “Both Ishimaru and Yamada were very into it, so I decided to steal it to create the conflict. Last night after we had our meeting about how it disappeared, I paid Yamada a little visit. I told him that Ishimaru was the one who had stolen it, and showed him ‘proof.’ I had taken  _ you-know-what _ to Ishimaru’s room earlier and taken pictures of it there using the digital camera he gave me the other day. I also convinced him that Ishimaru had forced me to steal it for him. I said that he threatened me to do it, and Yamada believed me. He got so angry that he told me he’d kill him. And I told him that I had a plan.”

“You disgust me…” Hagakure said. 

“I have another question.” Togami began. “Was that strange costume Yamada’s creation?”

“Yeah. It was a real pain in the butt, too. I just told him to make something that would cover the body and face, I had no idea he'd make something like… that.”

“So why’d you try to make me the suspect?” Hagakure wondered.

“Because you’re stupid.”

Hagakure let out an offended huff. 

Ogami furrowed her brows. “But, what was Yamada going to do next if you let him live?”

“That’s simple. After he did his part and played dead, once someone showed up I told him that he would be seriously wounded and barely holding onto life. And while you were all questioning him about what had happened to him, I was going to go murder someone. At that point, Yamada would have an alibi and he would be safe. I told him that, and he believed it. He believed it whole-heartedly right up until his death.”

Kirigiri frowned. “What made you take things so far?”

Asahina huffed angrily. “Was it all really just for money…?”

“Are you talking about the money that Monokuma offered us? It’s true, that is a lot of money. But that’s not all there is to it. From the moment our new life here began, my only thought has been to escape.”

Hagakure looked confused. “But… you’re the one who was always telling us that we needed to adapt!”

“Obviously that was a lie!” She snapped. “I couldn’t take it! I hated it from day one! More than anyone, _ anyone _ , ANYONE else here! I wanted to get out! Every day was fresh torture! And do you know why!? HUH!?” Suddenly she calmed down and smiled softly. “Because I have a dream… and accepting life here would’ve meant nothing less than giving up on that dream forever… and there was no way I could ever do that. In the underground world of gambling, I risked my life to make a metaphorical killing. It was all for that dream…”

Makoto furrowed his brows. “What is your dream?”

“To live in a European castle,” Celeste said simply. Makoto was taken aback. As in-character as it seemed to be, he didn’t expect her dream to be so… superficial. Blind to everyone's shock, she continued. “And to gather handsome men from all over the world to serve as my butlers and bodyguards. I was going to dress them up as vampires and satisfy my every need. Living my life like that is my only dream… my only goal. That's what life's all about! Combined with my own winnings, Monokuma’s motive would’ve been enough to make that dream come true. Unfortunately, my dream is no longer possible. Still, I don’t have any regrets. I pursued my dream to the end, so why would I?”

Asahina grunted. “You're saying you’d kill your friends for that!?”

“Are you asking me to feel guilty? That’s a pointless endeavour. I think nothing of sacrificing others for my own ends. I feel nothing. That’s all there is to me. That’s what makes me… complete.’

“How can you be so calm…” Asahina wondered. “Don’t you realize you’re about to die?”

Celeste huffed. “My ability to lie is unrivalled, I take pride in that. It’s not just other people, I can fool my own emotions. The conscious deceives the unconscious. I don’t fear death. Go ahead, kill me however you like.” Celeste smiled into her hand, though the corners of her lips were tight, and the smile didn’t reach her eyes. It seemed like it took quite the effort to force it into place. She claimed that she could fool her own feelings but that statement must’ve been her final lie. 

“You all done!?” Monokuma interjected. “Okay, then let’s get rollin’! Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for The Ultimate Gambler! Let’s give it everything we’ve got!  _ It’s punishment time! _ ” 

Before she was dragged away, she handed a small key to Kirigiri. Makoto wondered what it could be for. “Well then, take care, everyone. Perhaps we’ll meet again in another life.”

Monokuma took out a large mallet and hit a big red button. Suddenly, Celeste was dragged away and tied to a wooden stake sticking out from the ground. Around her looked like the dilapidated ruins of an old castle. Before long, the area around her began to set fire, and the flames consumed the area, creeping their way towards her. From a distance, sirens were heard and a firetruck came barreling towards her. It rolled over a ramp and flew, ramming right into the girl, killing her as she set fire. It was painfully ironic. Makoto almost felt bad for the girl, no matter how heartless she had seemed, Makoto had an inkling that she had been lying about way more than her smile…

Everyone was discouraged, their friends had just died, and they still weren’t used to it. 

“Well, I think it’s about time I skedaddle,” Monokuma said. “Meanwhile, you guys can go on and enjoy your school life! If you get lonely, give me a shout! See you later!”

Once Monokuma had left, Makoto turned to Kirigiri. “Hey, Kirigiri. Is that key that Celeste gave you what I think it is?” She nodded. “Yes, I’m pretty sure it’s a key to open one of the lockers. I’m sure that’s where she hid it.”

Ogami nodded. “Then I suppose we should go check what was right under our noses.” Kirigiri nodded. “Let’s go.”Everyone exited the room and made their way to the dressing room. 

Once they arrived, Kirigiri turned to them. I’m going to go alone from here, okay? The rest of you go back to the dining hall. I’ll check back with you later.” Togami scowled. “And why would we let you do that?” She pointed to the cameras. “Do I have to explain that?” His frown deepened. “Don’t you remember that there is still the risk of a spy?” 

“I’ll go with her then.” Makoto proposed. Togami’s frown deepened once again. “Please let me go.” Togami huffed. “Fine, do whatever you want.”

With that everyone else walked off to the dining hall, saying their goodbyes. That left both Makoto and Kirigiri alone to go check on Alter Ego.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that was another long one. I just like to thank you so much for reading, and if you would, please continue leaving kudos and kind comments, it really makes my day and helps me get motivated to keep writing. Also, I'd just like to ask for your opinion on this idea I have. If I perhaps made a sequel to this following the events of DR:AE or even before everyone joins the future foundation, would you read it? I've been thinking about this for a while, but I'm not sure I want to continue this AU unless there is a good chunk of people who want to see more. I'll talk about this more later on when I'm a bit closer to finishing the fic, but please tell me your thoughts in the comments! Your opinion could help me decide whether or not to continue this story! Next, I'd just like to add a little note about the editing I did for this chapter. I've said this before but I'm way too lazy to properly edit my chapters sometimes so if it's rough, that would be why. Sorry! The last thing I'd like to say is that I just released a one-shot called Shh, It's A Secret. Please go check it out if you want more naegami content to consume! That's all for today! I'll hopefully be returning next week with chapter 8! Bye! :))))))))))))))


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the trial, Kirigiri confides in him about what she was doing when she ran off during the investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been 3 days, and I'm back! I got so motivated that after I posted the last chapter, I immediately started writing! I would've had it done and edited yesterday, but one of my friends distracted me in the middle of writing and I didn't touch it after that. Either way, here it is! Also, I'd just like to update you on that proposal I made last time... I'm definitely making a sequel to this! A great big thanks go out to all of the lovely people who commented, saying that you would love to read one! Also, I'd just like to say, that if you haven't already, please leave kudos! I'm sure that we can get to 600 in no time! It could also help this fic reach more people! The last thing that I wanted to say before you read is that one of my close friends is looking to launch a music career, and I just wanted to share her music with all of you! You can find her new album that came out just a little while ago, Thunderstorms, on all platforms! Her stage name is SHATTEREDMOS@ICS, and I would really appreciate it if you would go give her some support! Now, let's jump right into the chapter!

Makoto and Kirigiri made their way inside the locker room. Kirigiri turned to him. “We need to get into that locker.” She fished out the key that Celeste had given her, and walked over to the lockers, searching for the right one. When she found it, she slid the key in and turned it, finding Alter Ego inside, as promised. 

“Good morning,” Alter Ego chuckled. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Kirigiri sighed with relief. “It’s safe, thank goodness…”

“I did just what Celeste asked! I didn’t say a word! I was silent the whole time!” They seemed proud of themselves. “Oh, also, I might be able to open the last set of files soon… maybe as early as tomorrow. I’m doing my best, so please wait just a little while longer..!”

“So now we can officially say that the case is closed,” Kirigiri stated.

Makoto nodded. Although, while they were still alone there was something he wanted to bring up. “While we’re here, I’d like you to be honest with me. Please tell me what you were doing earlier…”

Kirigiri frowned. “Is that why you wanted to come here with me? Regardless, that’s not something you need to know right now.”

Makoto frowned. “I don’t need to know? That makes me more worried…”

“Worried?” Kirigiri looked surprised. 

“You disappeared during the investigation today. I’m smart enough to realize that you can hold your own, but it still concerned me. You running off like that on your own and being so secretive about why…” 

A look of realization crossed her features. “It’s only natural they think that I’m the mastermind’s spy, right? And you too…” 

“No. As mysterious as you are, I believe you. If anything  _ I’m _ more likely to be the spy. You’re obviously smart enough to realize I’m hiding something, but you’ve still trusted me with more than you probably should’ve. It shows me that you trust me too, at least a little bit.” Makoto didn’t bat an eye at his own mention of his secret. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that she was aware that something was up with him...

Kirigiri looked shocked once again. “You believe me? Since you also have things to hide, I thought you would’ve been more suspicious of me…”

“As foolish as it may seem to some, I consider you my friend. So, I believe you. That’s why I want you to tell me. I want to stop these killings and get out of here just as much as the next person, so I’d be happy to help you with anything. I want you to believe in me too.”

Kirigiri looked to the side. “I understand. Then… maybe I can believe in you just a little bit more.” She paused for a moment.

“Fine, I’ll tell you.” 

Makoto smiled softly at her. 

“You see, The boy's bathroom on the second floor doesn’t have a surveillance camera or monitor in it. And the storage closet there, way in the back, has the hidden entrance to a secret room. There is a desk and a shelf full of books and files back there. I’ve been looking through them.” Makoto nodded. He understood now. If he found something like that, he would run off to investigate it too. Although, he wanted to see it for himself. He might go later that night when Monokuma wouldn’t be as likely to catch him snooping. 

“Thank you for telling me Kirigiri. I really appreciate it. If there’s anything else you ever wanna say, come talk to me. I’m here for you.” He smiled up at her.

Since they had finished up in the locker room, they both departed. Kirigiri headed to the dining hall and Makoto headed back to his room to prepare for the night. He opened his dorm and stepped inside, grabbing the key for his weapons closet and removing the large painting on the back wall. He unlocked it and started to search for what he would use in case anything went wrong. He grabbed a few throwing knives, stuffing them into his jacket. He then locked his weapons back up and headed out. He needed to find Togami.

It didn’t take him long, because Togami was where he usually could be found. The library. The door creaked open and Makoto walked in. Immediately upon his arrival, Togami set down his book and fixed his gaze on Makoto, wondering why he was there. He walked over to Togami and sat down across from him, resting his arms on the desk. “Want to come take a bath with me?” He asked simply. Togami’s brows furrowed as he thought for a moment. It seemed to dawn on him that the intention of this question was more akin to ‘Can we talk in private?’ rather than ‘Do you want to take a bath with me?’ Or, that’s how it seemed. Makoto’s intention  _ was _ for them to speak in private, yes, but he also intended to take a bath while he was in there. He felt like he needed it... 

“I don’t see why not. It’s certainly been a long day…” Makoto nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s go.” They walked down the stairs together, falling into silence. Once they had made it inside the bathhouse, Makoto grabbed two towels and tossed one to Togami. He looked confused. “I thought we were in here to talk?” Makoto smiled softly. “We are. I just figured that a bath would be nice too.” Togami narrowed his eyes. “Please?” Makoto pleaded. Togami scoffed. “Fine.” Makoto smiled wider. 

The two boys made quick work of discarding their clothes, and soon all they were wearing were the towels wrapped around their waists. Makoto couldn’t help but notice that Togami was actually quite muscular. His smooth skin was toned and athletic, leading Makoto to think that he worked out regularly to keep up his physique. He really was perfect in everything, wasn’t he? He tore his eyes away quickly. He didn’t need his thoughts to run wild, especially not now.

“Shall we?” Makoto asked. All Togami did was sigh and remove his glasses, walking over to the door. Makoto couldn’t help but notice how much softer Togami’s eyes looked without his expensive glasses on. Togami pulled the door open and they both stepped inside, the comfortable warmth making him shiver. They both slipped into the bath and Togami quickly turned to Naegi, ready to get down to business. “So, what did you need to talk about?”

“Well, you can’t tell her I told you, or I’m  _ sure _ she’ll never trust me again, but Kirigiri told me where she went off to during the investigation today. I’ve decided that I’m gonna go check it out later, preferably early in the morning so that the mastermind has less of a chance to catch me. Although, it’s going to be quite risky, so I wanted to tell someone that I was going.”

Togami nodded. “I understand that, but why would you want to tell me? You could’ve told Kirigiri, she was the one who told you about the place.” 

“Well, first of all, you’re the only one I feel like I can actually trust here. You know my secret but you never told anyone about it, even though it would isolate me from the whole group if you did. And second of all, I’ve noticed that you tend to stay up quite late reading.” 

Togami nodded, slightly shocked at the fact that Makoto trusted him more than the others. 

“So, if anything goes wrong, I’ll come find you, okay?” Togami nodded once more. 

For a few minutes, they stayed silent until Togami cleared his throat. “I have a question for you. I do remember what you said earlier but…” He paused, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “Are you and Kirigiri… Involved?”

Makoto was taken aback but regained enough mind to snort. “No. I am  _ not _ interested in her, and she’s _ certainly _ not interested in me. And anyway, lately, my attraction to people has been leaning more towards guys…” Makoto realized what he said and blushed. “Sorry if that made you uncomfortable…” He paused for a moment, thinking of if he should ask what he was about to…

“Hey, Togami… I’ve actually been wondering, are you gay? You’ve just never really shown any interest in any girls and I know I haven’t known you for long but…” He shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s fine, you honestly don’t need to answer such a personal question.”

Togami’s first reaction to his question was anger. His eyes narrowed, his lip curled, and his eyebrows snapped down. Although, he didn’t say a word. After a few seconds, his irritated expression faded into something more neutral. He opened his mouth to speak but faltered. After a bit more of that, he finally decided what to say.

“No, it’s fine. It’s just… _ complicated. _ ” He stated. Makoto raised an eyebrow but didn’t pry. He was already getting more out of Togami than he would’ve ever expected. He was sure that if someone else had asked that question, he would’ve gone off on them. 

“If you ever wanna’ talk about it, I’m here for you, okay? I know you aren’t big on the whole _ trust  _ thing, but you  _ can  _ trust me. We’re friends. That's what friends do.” He smiled up at him. Even though he didn’t want to be  _ just friends _ , he would take what he could get. Togami just stared at Makoto with an expression that was extremely hard to read. He reluctantly nodded. “Maybe I will…” Makoto smiled wider. 

Sad to cut their little chat off so soon, Makoto figured that they should leave now… It was going to be nighttime soon. “Well, I think that we should get out now… Monokuma will fry us if we’re in here during nighttime.” Togami nodded and they climbed out of the bath and headed to the locker room, changing back into their clothes. Makoto turned towards Togami when they were ready to leave. He smiled. “Thanks for joining me. I’ll see you later tonight.” With that, they both left the bathhouse, Togami going back to the Library to read and Naegi going back to his room to wait things out. 

* * *

Once the clock struck one, Makoto put up his hood and opened his door, stepping out into the dark halls of Hope’s Peak. He was careful enough to stay in the shadows, trying to hide from the camera's view. He quietly made his way up to the second floor, and into the boy's bathroom. He walked over to the storage closet, and opened it, peering inside. He could see the faint outline of an entryway in the wall. He gave it a slight push and it moved to the side like a revolving door, allowing him to enter the secret room. Once he was inside he coughed. It was full of dust. He spotted a desk and a bookshelf just like Kirigiri had mentioned. 

Upon closer inspection, the bookshelf seemed to be full of yearbooks that were old and dusty. Something caught his eye though. It was at the very edge of one of the shelves. It said _ ‘Hope’s Peak Student Registry.’ _

Makoto slid it off the shelf and cracked it open, curious. Before he could read anything though, a slip of paper fell out from the document. Makoto bent down to pick it up. It was a note that read, ‘You must not leave.’ Makoto frowned. What was that doing there…? It was so strange. The note didn’t say that you  _ couldn’t _ leave, it said that you  _ shouldn’t. _ A creeping sense of deja vu washed over Makoto. He felt like he'd heard those words before… he couldn’t quite remember. 

Suddenly, Makoto heard very, very faint footsteps behind him and he spun around, digging through his coat to try and find the knives he brought with him. The masked assailant wielded a large bat, and it swiftly swung towards Makoto. His quick reflexes allowed him to dodge it, but just barely. As he continued trying to fish out his knives, the assailant swung once more, and Makoto dodged once more, although things didn’t go so smoothly this time. Makoto’s head bounced off the wall with a loud crack. Makoto could feel his vision fading as he fell into unconsciousness, mentally cursing himself for not being more aware of his surroundings. With that, Makoto’s vision cut out completely, and he finally drifted off. 

* * *

Makoto’s eyes slowly opened and he had no clue how much time had passed. He remembered that he'd been attacked, then he accidently banged his head off the wall and knocked himself out.  _ Great work, Makoto. _ He slowly peeled himself off the ground, his head pounding. He looked around and noticed that all of the things that were previously in the room were gone. The assailant must’ve taken them out after he lost consciousness. Makoto decided that now would be a good time to go find Togami. He could possibly have a concussion, and his vision doubled as he walked. He wobbled out of the bathroom and slowly stalked down the hall, finally nearing the library. 

He gripped onto the door handle, and pulled, although this time it took more effort to move than before. When he walked inside, Togami’s head snapped up and he closed his book. He rose from his chair and walked over to Makoto, his eyebrows furrowed in what looked like concern. 

“Makoto, are you alright?”

Makoto sighed. “No. Got attacked. Hit my head while dodging them. Could have a concussion. Not sure if I’m bleeding…” He said quietly. Togami’s eyes narrowed and he moved next to Makoto, wrapping his arm around his waist to support him. “Wha- what are you doing?” Makoto asked, confused. Togami sighed. “I’m going to take you to my dorm to make sure you’re okay.” Makoto began to nod but winced. His headache worsened. They began to walk to the door, and they slowly made their way out of the library. Togami didn’t seem to want to rush Makoto, so they took their time getting to the stairs and to the first floor. 

Once they had arrived though, they heard distinct banging noises coming from the gym. “What is that…?” Togami asked absent-mindedly. “Not sure,” Makoto began. “Maybe we should go check it out.” Togami nodded. They made their way over, Togami still supporting Makoto as they walked. When they reached the gym doors, Togami pulled one of them open a crack, and they both peered inside. 

The sight they were faced with made Makoto gasp softly. Ogami was inside… fighting Monokuma! He moved his face closer to the opening, trying to get a better idea of what was going on inside there. 

“Why you…” Monokuma began. He sounded extremely irritated. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

Ogami stayed silent, a scary look in her eyes. 

“I asked you a question! What is the meaning of this!? How dare you defy me…! This wasn’t part of the deal!”

Makoto gasped once again, careful to keep as quiet as possible. _ It wasn’t part of the deal? _ Oh no… maybe bringing Togami here was a bad idea. Makoto was  _ very  _ sure what Monokuma was implying. 

“I’ve made a decision…” Ogami glared at the bear. “I will no longer retreat, no longer compromise, no longer regret… I’ve made my decision! I’m going to resist you!”

Makoto bit his lip. He certainly hoped that Togami wouldn’t say anything to the others… He hoped that Ogami would have the time to tell everyone herself…

‘Hmm…” Monokuma seemed to think about his next move. “Okay. But… you do realize what will happen if you go through with this, right? You haven’t forgotten, have you? What I am holding hostage?”

Ogami’s expression suddenly became painful.

Makoto frowned. What Monokuma’s words were implying… not that he held any ill will towards the girl in the first place, he certainly wasn’t allowed to judge anyway, but he didn’t blame her for this. Monokuma must’ve been holding something very important to her over her head. Makoto’s frown deepened. 

Makoto suddenly pulled Togami away from the doors with his remaining strength and shut them gently. He quietly led Togami back into the hall and turned to him. 

“Togami. Please don’t tell anyone about this. You heard Monokuma- he was holding something over her head to make her do what he wanted! It isn’t her fault… I want her to be able to explain this to everyone on her own terms, just like I’d like to do with my secret…”

Togami seemed to mull over his words for a moment before reluctantly nodding. “I suppose we could keep this a secret if that’s what you wish.” Makoto smiled softly up at him. “Can we go back to the dorms now? My head is pounding and I’m so tired…” Togami wordlessly led them down the hall.

Soon enough they had arrived at Togami’s dorm and stepped inside. 

Togami led Makoto over to the bed and sat him down on it. Togami sat beside him and turned Makoto’s head to the side gently so that he could get a better look. “You hit the back of your head, right?” He asked. Makoto knew that it was against his better judgement to nod so he settled with, “Yes.” He felt Togami poke and prod at his head, searching through his hair to try and find any bumps or lacerations. He tried his best not to wince with the little strength and control he had left. After a short while, Togami stopped. 

“You’re bleeding a bit, most likely from the impact. It doesn’t seem like anything immense or serious. There’s also no open wound, so I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you're careful.”

“Thank you Togami.” Makoto smiled. “Can we lay down? Even if I shouldn’t be sleeping, I feel exhausted…” Togami nodded. He moved the pillow on his bed up against the headboard and they both scooted up to it, resting their heads there. Makoto unconsciously leaned on Togami, his head falling onto the taller boy’s shoulder. 

He found his thoughts drifting to his family… Makoto missed his sister dearly. She was one of the most important people to him, and she was the only friend that he had. Well, he had other friends now… He could almost picture the smile on her face if he told her that he had finally made friends. Given, those friends didn’t know of his true nature… Would they still be his friends if they knew what a monster he was? Makoto tried not to think about that.  _ He was sure he would know in due time... _

He just hoped and prayed that his family was okay. With his disappearance, who knows what _ they _ could do?

Makoto didn’t realize it, but tears started to well up in his eyes. He must’ve hit his head _ really _ hard… Makoto wasn’t one to cry. Maybe it was because of all the pressure? Maybe it was finally getting to him? Maybe it already got to him, and he just didn’t know. A tear fell down his cheek and onto Togami’s shoulder. Maybe he was indulging in this vulnerability because of who he was with?

Togami turned to him, and his eyes widened. His eyebrows furrowed and he hesitated for a moment before gently wiping the tears from Makoto’s round cheeks. Before speaking, he hesitated once more, showing that he wasn’t used to comforting others. “What’s wrong…?” He asked softly, unsure. Makoto didn’t think he'd ever heard Togami talk so kindly, without the usual edge that all his words had to them. Though he was filled to the brim with despair, his heart swelled. Could it be that Togami _ truly _ trusted him? Could it be that he truly _ cared _ for him? Makoto swallowed, ready to speak. He remembered that he promised Togami that he would tell him about his family and his past. He just wasn’t expecting that the time would be now…

“I miss my family…” He began. “I miss my sister. She was the only friend I had…! I mean, how could I have any friends if I’m a murderer…!?” More tears rolled down Makoto’s cheeks. Togami’s frown deepened. He rolled onto his side and looked at Makoto. “Naegi… If you feel so guilty, then why did you become an assassin?” He asked. Makoto frowned. 

“I didn’t choose that life. I was forced into it. My parents both come from long lines of assassins and hitmen. They met while doing their jobs… When they had me, they tried their hardest to detach themselves from their previous lives, but it just… wasn’t possible. By the time they had my sister, Komaru, they had to choose which one of us would take up the job. I… I never wanted my sister to go through that! As young as I was, I still understood how serious it was! If I didn’t agree to train with them, they would’ve killed my family! I had no choice…”

Togami’s frown deepened. Makoto continued to cry, soft sobs sounding in the room. 

“Why did they force you to become an assassin?” Togami spoke reluctantly like he was trying his best not to pry.

Makoto sniffled. “They were angry that my parents just up and disappeared to go start a family. Losing two good assassins was truly detrimental to their business… not to mention that my parents could have ratted everyone out. It also gave them a good opportunity to get a new apprentice… It probably goes without saying, but assassins aren’t easy to come by. They’re always looking to make more _ monsters  _ like me…”

“You’re not a monster, Naegi…” Togami tried to comfort him. “ _ Bullshit. _ You’ve even said it yourself-! I’m a murderer! I’ve taken people's lives, Togami! _ Many _ people's lives! _ Hundreds _ , maybe even  _ thousands! _ No matter what excuse I have, what I’ve done is _ unforgivable… _ ” Makoto’s cries got louder.

Togami suddenly pulled Naegi to his chest, wrapping his arms around the small boy. “ _ I _ don’t think that you’re unforgivable… You’ve shown me that you feel guilty for the crimes you’ve committed against your will. Do  _ unforgivable monsters _ feel guilty?” Makoto knew that it was intended to be a rhetorical question, but he spoke anyway. “Clearly they  _ do, _ ” Togami shook his head in disdain, playfully slapping him on the side in a way of silently chiding him. 

“And besides, if I thought that you were a murderer, I wouldn’t have kept your secret.  _ I wouldn’t be holding you like this. _ ”

He paused. “And I’m sure that this won’t do much to comfort you, but for people to wish death upon others… they must have a reason, correct? I’m sure you never killed anyone innocent. I can say that with almost one-hundred-percent certainty. As one of the most influential people in the entire world, I know the kinds of people that are wanted dead.”

Makoto chuckled softly in between his quiet sobs. That was a very _ Togami _ way to comfort him. He appreciated the sentiment. “I suppose you’re right…” Makoto nuzzled his head into Togami’s neck and sighed. “Thank you Togami. For everything.” The taller boy just nodded, and they fell into silence.

Makoto sighed once more, realizing that he was in over his head. The feelings he harboured for Togami just kept getting stronger…! What was he going to do about it!?

* * *

Makoto found it very easy to stay awake through the night. He had gone on less sleep before… He guessed that it was nearly morning, judging by how much time had passed. He listened to the soft breathing of the boy he was lying against. His heart skipped a beat. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. The hard lines and ridges in his cold face were gone… he looked relaxed and free. Makoto smiled. As if it was right on cue, the morning announcement played and Togami groaned. He slowly opened his eyes, and when he realized that Makoto was next to him, he blushed. “Good morning Togami,” Makoto said with a smile. “Good...morning.” Seeming to recall the events that occurred earlier in the morning, his eyebrows furrowed. “Did you stay awake? I apologize, I should’ve stayed up and made sure-”

“I did.” Makoto cut him off. “I have plenty of experience staying awake, so it was fine. And, thanks again for looking out for me. It means a lot…”

Togami nodded. “Well, I’m sure you should get up and go back to your dorm now… The others will be waiting for you in the dining hall.” Makoto nodded. Before he left though, he wanted to ask Togami something… 

“Togami… how come you never join everyone in the dining hall?”

Togami frowned at him. Makoto seemed to understand.

“It’s because you have appearances to keep up as this group's resident aloof asshole, right?”

Togami let out a short laugh. “Well, that’s certainly one way to put it…”

Makoto chuckled. “Hit the nail on the head?”

“Pretty much.”

Makoto laughed again. As strange as it was to see Togami being so open with him, even joking around with him, Makoto enjoyed it. They really _ were  _ getting closer…

Makoto smiled at him. “Well, I really should get going… See you later Togami!” With that, he made his way to the door and left, heading down the hall and back to his room to freshen up.

Once he had finished making himself look presentable, he left for the dining hall, hoping that he wasn’t late.

When he walked in, everyone was there- except Togami and Fukawa, of course. But that was to be expected. Asahina sighed sadly. “Now there’s only five of us here…”

“That’s a third of what we started with…” Hagakure said.

Kirigiri frowned. “Loneliness has become commonplace.”

Ogami nodded. Makoto was suddenly very aware of what happened last night. He remembered what he had discovered about Ogami… he frowned. 

“Naegi, are you okay?” She asked him. His frown was quickly replaced with a small-  _ fake _ \- smile. “I’m fine, Ogami.” Makoto internally chastised himself. He should’ve been more aware of his expressions, it was sure to worry everyone.

The darker part of his mind wondered if anyone would worry about him if they knew his secret. Makoto vehemently pushed those thoughts away and tried to recite Togami’s comforting words in his head. 

_ I don’t think that you’re unforgivable. _

His smile became a real one.

Makoto’s eyes scanned across the room briefly, only to notice that Kirigiri seemed to be glaring at him. It was subtle, but she obviously wanted something from him. He should talk to her later…

Sensing the tension in the room, Asahina interjected. “Okay! In that case, let’s eat till’ we pass out! If you fill your belly, it’ll be sure to cheer you all up, so let’s eat!” Makoto chuckled at her enthusiasm. As much as she believed it, he didn’t think that eating would solve everyone’s problems…

Kirigiri smiled fondly. “Well, the  _ ‘eating till’ we pass out’  _ part is going to be a problem. We have exploring to do when we’re done.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “Then I suppose we should start eating.” Makoto proposed. 

* * *

Once everyone was finished with their breakfast, they all headed up to the fourth floor to do some exploring. 

First, Makoto turned left and went down a short blue hallway. It led to the music room. Inside was a stage with a piano and many rows of seats. He spotted Kirigiri standing off to the side. He made his way over to her. Once he was standing in front of her, she started speaking. 

“You know, you haven’t told me what you think yet.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow.

“About the secret room?” She elaborated. 

“Ah, you knew I went?”

She gave him an exasperated look.

“Nevermind… I wouldn’t put it past you to figure that out…” He paused. “I found it, but once I started looking around, someone tried to attack me.”

Kirigiri gasped. “You were attacked? By who?”

“I don’t know. They were wearing a mask and an outfit that covered their whole body. They were even wearing gloves. I couldn’t tell you their skin tone, let alone who it was. While trying to dodge them, I hit my head off of the back wall so hard I was knocked out… when I came to, all the files were gone.”

Kirigiri’s eyes narrowed, and she looked at the ground. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how important those files were…”

“It’s okay. I’ve already seen what I needed to in there. And I half suspected that the mastermind might come after you.” 

Makoto would’ve gotten mad at her, but it truly was his own fault that he was injured. 

“Since the mastermind attacked you and then sealed away everything in that room, there must’ve been a vital clue to finding their identity. Anyway, we shouldn’t talk about this any more here.” her eyes flicked to the security cameras. She must’ve known that he had more questions to ask... 

“So now it’s your turn. Let’s hear your secret.”

Makoto’s eyes darkened. “Which one?” 

Kirigiri huffed out a laugh. “The new one. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you were hiding something else. Although, I’m sure I’ll get the other one out of you someday…”

Makoto smirked. “Over my dead body.” He was only half-joking. It was sure to be dangerous if Kirigiri knew about his true talent. 

“So?” She said expectantly. Makoto frowned. 

“If you’re worried about the cameras, why not just write it down?”

Makoto sighed. “That’s… that’s not it. This secret has nothing to do with me, and if anyone was to find out… let’s just say that things wouldn’t end well. I’m not trying to cause anyone else to do something…  _ unsavoury. _ And besides, I’d like to show the person who this secret involves some respect. I wouldn’t want anyone to blab about  _ my _ secret behind my back, because that sure as hell would get me killed, so I don’t wanna do anything like that to someone that I have no ill will towards.”

Kirigiri frowned. “Can you really not trust me with it? I thought that we were friends? Doesn’t that mean that we can trust each other?” Makoto frowned. Using his own words against him, huh? That’s low, Kirigiri. Although, he didn’t want to strain their slowly building relationship, so he relented. The really was no reason  _ not  _ to tell her-  _ keeping quiet would be stupid. _

Makoto sighed once more. “I suppose I’ll find out. Look, I’ll tell you, okay? But you can’t say anything about this to anyone else. I can almost guarantee that this secret getting out will cause more problems than it will solve.”

She nodded, and Makoto reluctantly began telling her about what he and Togami had seen.

“Last night I found out who the traitor was.”

Kirigiri gasped. “Who..?”

Makoto paused for a second. “Ogami. I saw her and Monokuma fighting last night, and Monokuma mentioned a deal and a hostage. Though they didn’t say that she was the traitor outright, it was quite obvious to me that this was the only thing they could’ve been referring to.”

“I see…”

“I don’t blame her for this, and I don’t think that you should either. Monokuma must’ve held something very important to her over her head to make her betray her friends, and I know first hand that I’d do anything for the things and people I care about. Doing that without a good reason seems too far-fetched for someone as noble as Ogami.”

Kirigiri nodded. “I can understand why you sharing this with me could pose a problem… But, thank you.” She smiled softly. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Makoto nodded. “Anytime.”

Once their little chat was over, Makoto left the music room to continue investigating the new floor. 

Next, Makoto made his way over to an office, presumably for the teachers of Hope’s Peak. Inside the room, there were many desks, but each and every one had a small vase of orange flowers on them. Makoto frowned, and a morbid chill ran down his spine. Had all of the people who used to work in this room died? Makoto tried not to think about it.

He walked between the two rows of desk and stopped in his tracks when he spotted a photo on the ground. He gasped. It was a photo of Celeste, Yamada, and Maizono. How was that possible? They never mentioned knowing each other… He had found a photo like this once before, but finding another one like it, showing his deceased classmates alive and smiling in a room without steel plates covering the windows… it was chilling. 

Before Monokuma could even _ try  _ to take it from him, he shoved it in his pocket and made his way out of the room. He’d figure out the mystery of these pictures another time. 

He proceeded down the hall and towards a door that was labelled  _ ‘Headmaster’s Room.’ _ he gave the handle a tug, but it didn’t budge. It was locked. With no other choice, he moved on to the next room. He would need to try and get in there later…

The next room he decided to investigate was the data center. He tried to open the door but, once again, it was locked. Makoto frowned. Just how many doors did Monokuma lock?

Makoto walked down the hall to check out the classrooms. As always, they contained nothing of note. 

Makoto made his way over to the last room on the floor. The chem lab. When he walked inside, the smell of medicine hung around the room. He made his way to the back of the room, bypassing Ogami and Asahina, who were in deep conversation about protein supplements. He looked through the things on the large shelf on the back wall… there seemed to be many different kinds of medicine there. But that wasn’t all, he also spotted lethal poisons. Interesting…

He didn’t find anything else useful in there, so he left and made his way back to the dining hall to meet up with everyone. 

Not long after Makoto had arrived, everyone else began to trickle in. Soon, everyone was there. They began to discuss what they had discovered. No one seemed to give him any new information, all of it being things that he had discovered on his own. Although, when Hagakure mentioned the headmaster’s room and made an offhand comment about breaking the door down to get in, Monokuma popped up and added a new rule to their handbooks. No breaking down doors. That didn’t mean that he couldn’t pick the lock though, right?

Once everyone had shared what they had found, it was Makoto’s turn. He showed everyone the photo that he had found and they all gasped. 

“So that other photo you found wasn’t the only one…?” Ogami stated. 

“Monokuma must’ve faked it!” Hagakure shouted.

Makoto frowned. “But, what if it  _ is  _ real? There must be some sort of hidden connection there, don’t you think? Some deeper truth that we don’t understand...”

“Can’t be!” Hagakure said. “It’s a fake!”

“I’m not so sure…”

“Are you guys still conflicted?” Togami’s voice rang out into the room. “Togami!” Makoto said a soft smile on his face.

Asahina groaned. “What are _ you _ doing here? What we’re talking about is none of your business...”

“So if I happened to discover a  _ vital clue _ , that wouldn’t concern you in the slightest?  _ Fine by me. _ ” Togami spun on his heel and began to walk away, but Makoto ran over to him and grabbed his arm. He turned around to look at Makoto, raising an eyebrow. “Come on, Togami. Don’t listen to her. If you have something to say, then say it.”

Togami huffed. “Fine, I’ll indulge you. I was in the bath.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. Had he been talking to Alter Ego? Did that mean that Alter Ego was finally finished with opening the files?

Kirigiri nodded and began walking towards the door. “Maybe we should _ all  _ go take a bath…”

With that, they all silently agreed and left for the bathhouse. 

Once they were inside, Makoto noticed that Fukawa was sitting on one of the benches, the laptop beside her. 

“Fukawa, are you here to listen to what Alter Ego has to say too?” He asked. 

“N-no… I already heard it with master…”

“Then what are you doing here…?”

“Master told me to sit and wait, so that’s what I’m doing.”

Asahina gave her an exasperated look. “What are you, his dog?”

“If that’s what master wants… I’ll do a-anything…”

“Well, can you move so we can talk to Alter Ego?” Hagakure ordered. 

“Well, fine. If you w-want me gone so bad, by all means…” Suddenly she sneezed. Her eyes lit up and her tongue darted out of her mouth. “Hey, guys! What’s goin’ on!?” Jill asked. 

Hagakure scratched his cheek. “Um, we’d like you to move.”

“Sure thing! Just kneel before me and beg!”

“Jill, we’re asking you nicely to use the laptop…” Makoto didn’t want to have to resort to… other ways of making her relent. 

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!? Didn’t you hear what I said!? I told you to kneel down and beg!”

“C’mon Naegi! Give her the ol’ one-two combo! One- drop onto your knees! Two- beseech!” Hagakure shouted. 

Makoto sighed. He didn’t want to resort to this, but he had to. He didn’t have another choice. He stepped towards Jill, invading her space, and he leaned up to her ear, cupping a hand over his mouth so that she was the only one to hear what he was about to say. 

He made sure to inject as much poison as he could into his voice when he spoke. “You’re going to move and let us talk to Alter Ego, or I’m going to take those scissors of yours and I’m going to  _ dismember _ you. Got it?”

Jill cackled. “Oh boy, what a  _ tempting  _ offer! I think you’ve earned yourself a prize for that little show mister! Fine, I’ll move!”

Hagakure looked very surprised. “What did you even say to her?”

Makoto smirked. “I’ll never tell.”

Jill stepped aside, and they finally had access to the laptop. Makoto really knew how to get what he wanted…

“Everyone, come closer!” Alter Ego said. “I already told Togami, but I’ve managed to crack open all of the files on this laptop!”

Kirigiri made her way over to the laptop and began typing away. She asked Alter Ego what they found. “Sure. I analyzed the files and extracted all the useful information that I could… And one particularly important part was that a certain plan had been put into effect here.  _ ‘To isolate the students of Hope’s Peak Academy, and create a communal life for them.’ _ That was the stated goal of the plan. Although, it was intended to be more than a normal school life. The students were intended to live out the rest of their lives here.”

Ogami gasped. “That’s exactly the situation that we’ve found ourselves in…”

“It’s quite unthinkable, isn’t it?” Alter Ego stated. “And what’s more, the one who came up with the plan is, none other than the administrators of Hope’s Peak themselves.

“Wait so, the whole reason we’re trapped in here isn’t because of some psycho criminal organization or anything… is the school itself!?” Asahina said, disbelieving.

Hagakure sputtered. “What- but that doesn’t make any sense! Why would they do that!?” 

“It seems that the reason they devised this plan is because of what happened one year ago… They said that one year ago, the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history occurred. Otherwise known as the tragedy, it was apparently some sort of devastating occurrence. Because of this occurrence, Hope’s Peak Academy was forced to close down.”

Kirigiri nodded to herself. “I see… Things are finally starting to make sense.”

Makoto agreed. That letter they had found in the library, detailing the closing of Hope’s Peak was real…

Quickly, Kirigiri asked Alter Ego more questions.  _ ‘What was this tragic event?’ ‘Why would the Hope’s Peak administrators lock everyone inside the school?’ _

Alter Ego looked very sad. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. If that information was ever on this computer, it’s gone now…”

Suddenly, Alter Ego brightened up once again. “Oh, and there’s one more thing that I forgot to mention. I think it might be important. I might have a clue to the identity of the mastermind.”

Everyone in the room gasped. 

“I found out that the one leading the Hope’s Peak staff, and the one who finalized the plan to isolate you, was the headmaster.”

Kirigiri froze. Makoto raised an eyebrow. Why would that shock her so much?

“He could very well be the mastermind. I think that it’s also very likely that he’s somewhere in the school with you right now.”

Kirigiri covered her mouth with her hand. She looked like she had seen a ghost. “The headmaster is… here in the school!?” Kirigiri’s face darkened. Makoto didn't think he'd ever seen her look more determined. “I’ll find a way… I’ll find the headmaster. No matter the cost…”

Asahina looked concerned. “Kirigiri, what’s going on?”

“I can’t explain it but… I know I have to find him…”

To regain her composure, Kirigiri asked Alter Ego if they had anything else to say. Unfortunately, that was all of the information they found. 

“Although,” Alter Ego began. “I was wondering… I haven’t seen Celeste, Yamada, or Ishimaru since yesterday…”

The room was silent except for Kirigiri’s finger clacking on the keyboard as she typed,  _ ‘They’re all dead.’ _

Alter Ego gasped. They looked devastated.

“Well then, I guess that’s it,” Kirigiri said. Before they all left though, she made sure to thank Alter Ego.  _ ‘You’ve done your job. Thank you.’ _

With one last goodbye from Alter Ego, the laptop fell into sleep mode, and everyone left the locker room. 

Once they were outside, the nighttime announcement played and Kirigiri asked whether or not they still wanted the nighttime rule to be in place. Together they decided that it would be best if they continued to uphold it, and they all went off to bed. 

As Makoto made the trek back to his room, his thoughts wandered to the information that Alter ego had given them.  _ The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history _ , huh? And it caused Hope’s peak to shut down a year ago? Then how in the  _ hell _ would he have been scouted for Hope’s peak if it was closed down? How come he didn’t hear about his event on the news? It was all so strange, and Makoto couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

________________________

When Makoto awoke to the morning announcement, he sprung up and out of bed, immediately getting ready to join the others in the dining hall. On his commute there, he realized that he hadn’t seen much of Togami yesterday… he hoped to see more of him today. 

Once he entered the dining hall, he noticed that, for once, Fukawa had joined them. 

“Fukawa, it’s nice to see you here. You haven’t joined us in a long time.” Ogami said. 

Asahina smiled at her. “Yeah, what made you change your mind?”

Fukawa blushed. “Togami said he l-likes a girl to have some meat on her bones… so I’m g-gonna’ start eating…! I’m gonna’ force it down my stomach! I’m gonna e-eat till’ I drop!”

Makoto shot her a concerned glance. Although, he highly doubted that Togami meant what he said. It was probably just to make her go away… and he also had an inkling that Togami didn’t even _ like _ girls… But he would have to find that out later. 

“I’m not gonna’ lose!” Asahina challenged. 

Fukawa frowned. “J-just shut up already, Asahina... ! You’ve been running your f-filthy mouth like that  _ all _ morning…”

“Filthy!?”

A blush appeared on Fukawa’s face. “D-don’t make me repeat myself…”

“I’m not filthy!”

“I-it’s no use denying it… we can all see how filthy y-you are.”

Asahina was blushing now. “S-shut up…”

Drool fell from the corner of Fukawa’s mouth. “You and that lusty body of yours… night after n-night you go out for your illicit c-club meetings…”

Asahina’s blush darkened. “H-hey, knock it off… I can’t deal with dirty stuff like that…”

Fukawa didn’t listen. “Your m-midnight  _ sextracurricular activities _ only put us in e-even more danger…!”

Asahina began to sweat. “S-stop it…”

“You’d like me to stop, w-wouldn’t you? Your sweaty hands are g-gripping the big, fat chalk t-tight…” Fukawa trembled, more drool dripping down her chin. “Going for all that e-extra credit… Your screams are like the s-screech of a violated chalkboard!”

Makoto stifled a laugh. Fukawa was _ such _ a disaster bisexual, wasn’t she? _ Calm down with the gay, Fukawa. _

“And… and…” She tried to continue but was interrupted by Ogami who cleared her throat loudly, sending Fukawa the harshest glare he had ever seen.  _ I guess Fukawa wasn’t the only one with the hots for Asahina. _

“Everyone, let’s just eat breakfast, okay? Just ignore Fukawa…” With one huff from Fukawa and nods from the others, they finally ate breakfast. Took everyone long enough. 

Once breakfast was over, Makoto headed back to his room. After spending a bit of time there, he left his room to roam around the school.

He was walking down the hallways when he ran into Genocide Jill. 

“Oh, Naegi! Have you come to threaten me again!? If so, I  _ really _ wouldn’t mind!” She cackled.

Makoto shook his head. “I was just walking around. What, do you  _ want  _ me to threaten you?”

She moved closer to him, her tongue darting out dangerously close to his face. “I don’t know,  _ do I? _ ”

When Makoto stepped back, she cackled once more. “What, did you think I was gonna’ make a move on you!? Never in a million years! I am devoted to my one and only master, Togami Byakuya!” 

Makoto huffed out a laugh. “No, that isn’t why I moved back. I moved back because your breath stinks.”

She shrugged. “That’s  _ Miss Morose _ for you.”

He assumed that she was talking about Fukawa. 

“Anywho! How are things going with Togami!? They  _ better _ be going well- I only backed off so that I could have a chance of seeing that sweet, sweet boy-on-boy action!”

Makoto blushed. “Well, I think they’re going well. We’ve been getting closer lately, and he’s even been… nice to me.”

Jill’s eyes grew wide. “ _ Nice!? _ You’re telling me that my lovely Togami-sama was _ nice  _ to you!? Oh lord, you two  _ must be in love! _ My master wouldn’t know  _ nice _ if it kicked him in the dick!”

Makoto brushed over the vulgar comment in favour of laughing at her over-exaggeration. “Yeah, I was a bit shocked too, to be honest. Although, it makes me hopeful… maybe he doesn’t hate me as much as I thought he did…”

“Oh  _ sweetie _ , with Togami, him being nice is just about second base! Things  _ are _ going well! And since they are...” Jill blushed in a similar fashion to earlier and she started to drool. “Ahh, I just  _ can’t imagine _ the kinds of things you two will be up to… Togami will… aghh!” Suddenly, she ran off, stating that she had somewhere to be. He looked at her disappearing form with fond disappointment. Since when had he had a soft spot for her?

Makoto decided that he had been out and about long enough, so he retired back to his dorm for the day.

* * *

A little while after he had returned to his dorm, the monitor in his room turned on, and Monokuma started to speak. “Attention, Attention! Please gather in the gym as soon as possible!” As quick as the announcement had started it concluded. Makoto bit his lip… this was most likely about another motive, and he had an idea of  _ what _ that motive could be… he just hoped that he wasn’t right.

He quickly made his way down to the gym and hesitantly entered, worried about what would happen. 

Once everyone else had joined him, Monokuma popped up on his podium as always. 

“Okay, let’s get this show on the road!”

Togami narrowed his eyes. “You’re about to give us our next motive, aren’t you?”

Monokuma turned his head to the side innocently.

Togami looked more irritated. “You gathered us all together to present another motive,  _ right? _ ”

“No, no, no, no. That’s not it at all! We’re not here to talk about a motive. The reason I’ve gathered you all here is to get rid of my grudge.”

At those words, Makoto looked over at Ogami. She looked worried. Makoto frowned. Oh no…

“We have a grudge against  _ you _ , but I don’t recall you ever having a grudge against _ us _ ,” Kirigiri stated.

Monokuma just laughed.

Togami scowled. “Stop beating around the bush.”

“Well, Togami. You’ve already told everyone how you think that one of you might be working as a spy, right? Well, today I’d like to tell you about that spy.”

“So guess what? That spy is actually-”

“SHUT UP!” Makoto yelled. Monokuma stopped speaking and turned to him. “What do  _ you _ want?”

“You  _ do not _ get to say this for her. Let her tell everyone herself. Let her have that right.”

“I don’t think so-”

He took a step closer to Monokuma and mustered up his darkest glare. “Well, _ I _ do. Let. Her. Tell. Them. Or it won’t end so well for you.”

Monokuma quivered. “S-sure thing! Whatever you say, Naegi! Go ahead, _ spy! _ ”

At least the mastermind was smart enough to know that no matter what they did, Makoto could  _ end _ them. 

Ogami stepped forward, giving a grateful, yet confused, look in Makoto’s direction. She sighed, but stayed strong and began to speak. 

“I’m sorry for deceiving you all, but I was the spy.”

“W-what are you talking about!? T-there’s no way! Monokuma had to have put you up to this!” Asahina shouted. 

Ogami looked Asahina in the eyes with a sombre look. “He didn’t. I was the one who betrayed all of you.”

Monokuma cackled. “That’s right! Ogami was the spy all along!”

Asahina faltered. “H-how is this possible…!”

“And, and, and!” Monokuma continued. “I might need Ogami to fulfill that promise she made me… or I can’t be responsible for what happens to that hostage of mine… Anyway, that’s all. Do what you will with that information. Roast her, boil her, kill her, don’t kill her. It’s all up to you! See ya’!” With that, Monokuma was gone, and he had once again driven everyone into despair. 

Ogami’s last words to them all before she departed were, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all sooner…” Makoto felt such remorse for her. This was bound to cause something  _ bad _ to happen.

With the implications of Monokuma’s words set in stone and impossible to refute, everyone left the gym. There was nothing else to talk about. Ogami herself had confirmed it.  _ She was the spy. _

The nighttime announcement played by the time he got back to his dorm, and he retired for the night. He was still thinking about the unfortunate situation when he drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

The next morning, when Makoto entered the dining hall, everyone was waiting for him- even Fukawa and Togami!

“Makoto, are you alright?”

Makoto raised an eyebrow… he was just a few minutes late… “Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You were late, so we were w-worried about you…” Fukawa stuttered. 

“Why are you and Togami here?”

“We just decided to come here today. Is that a problem?” Togami asked. 

“No, not at all! It’s nice to have you guys here.” Makoto said, trying to lighten up the mood. He realized sadly that Ogami wasn’t there.

“Where… is Ogami…?” He asked. 

“I’m not sure, and frankly, I don’t really care,” Togami said. Asahina seethed in anger that seemed to have been brewing for quite a while now. Had they been arguing before he came in?

“Why do you hate her so much!?”

“I don’t  _ hate _ her, I just find it unsavoury that a  _ spy  _ was in the game with us. It makes things unfair.”

Asahina growled. 

Kirigiri sighed. “The mastermind revealed Ogami’s secret last night because it would serve as the next motive… that is the trap laid out for us, and you are playing right into it. Now, will you continue to argue like children?”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do…” Asahina said. “It’s just… how can I get you guys to believe in Ogami again…?”

Hagakure thought for a moment. “If she could really beat the mastermind, that would go a long way in my books…”

“You’d really ask her to do something so dangerous!?”

Togami sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”

Asahina looked confused. “What…?”

“If Ogami dies, that would be one less person for the mastermind to control.”

Asahina practically had steam coming out of her ears, at this point. Makoto frowned but tried to give Togami the benefit of the doubt. He was an analytical thinker, and he never took people's emotions into consideration. He only found it so easy to say something like that, because it was the most obvious solution to him. 

“In fact, if she  _ did _ , that would resolve this whole issue, wouldn’t it?”

Asahina growled and she suddenly stepped towards Togami, her hand raising. Makoto knew exactly what was going to happen, and his first instinct was to  _ stop it.  _

He dashed out in front of Togami and stopped Asahina’s arm, holding it in a vice grip. “Don’t.” He said. “I understand that you’re mad, and believe me,” He glanced back at Togami. “I am too. But you have to give him the benefit of the doubt. As much as I’d like to see him get knocked down a peg, he doesn't deserve to be hit for it. Do you think he  _ ever _ takes other people's emotions into account while coming up with solutions to problems? You gotta’ understand that he _ doesn’t mean it like that. _ He just doesn’t understand how to think about people's feelings too.” 

Asahina faltered, and Makoto released her arm. She nodded reluctantly and stepped back. She was still mad, but she at least understood a little bit. He was glad that he could get through to her.

He turned to Togami and glared at him. “We’re talking about this later.” He said it quietly enough that the others wouldn’t hear him, but loud enough that Togami knew that this was non-negotiable. He huffed and looked away. 

Hagakure started to tremble, very uncomfortable with the amount of tension in the room. “So, uh, how about we, uh, eat? Er, maybe now’s not a good time…”

Without another word, everyone left the dining hall. Once they had left the room, Makoto wordlessly took Togami by the wrist and began pulling him down the hallway. Once they had arrived at his dorm, he swiftly unlocked it, shoving Togami inside and slamming the door. He turned around and glared at Togami.

“I may have defended you back there, and saved your ass  _ for the second time _ , but know that I’m not impressed.  _ Where _ do you get off acting like such a detached asshole! I mean, what reason in the whole entire  _ goddamn _ world justifies that, Togami!?”

Togami sighed. He walked over to Makoto's bed. He plopped down onto it and patted the space beside him. Makoto joined him and didn’t say a word. Togami removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes before speaking.

“I was born into the most influential family on the planet. I’m the _ heir  _ to that family, but I didn’t get that title without any sacrifice. I had thirteen half-siblings that I was forced to compete with to become the heir to my family and to inherit the Togami corporation. Among them, I was the youngest. In the history of my family, the youngest had never won before, not until I came along. So I had to fight twice as hard as anyone else to grab their attention. The siblings that lost, which was  _ all of them _ , were exiled from the family- a fate akin to death. In my father's words, they were  _ unfit for the Togami name _ . I _ despise  _ my father.” Despite the words already holding weight, he managed to make them sound just  _ that much _ heavier.

“But you see, as the heir to the corporation, I have to partake in our very unusual inheritance system. Instead of finding one wife to have a child with, the heir to the corporation must couple with many exceptional women around the world so that their children can compete to find the next heir… It’s a truly cruel system. As cold as I am, I would never want to put my own offspring through that… And besides, I’m not even interested in women.”

Makoto gasped. When he was yelling earlier he didn’t really think that Togami would open up to him so much, let alone  _ give him an actual reason. _

“Togami… you don’t have to tell me all of this if you don’t want to…”

He shook his head. “No, Naegi. It’s fine. You opened up to me about your past, so I think it’s time to return the favour.”

Togami took a shaky breath in. “My father… abused me. He beat me, and put me down everyday… not to mention I was pressured into turning against my own siblings… My childhood was unbearable. The only person in my family that I ever cared about was not even  _ related _ to me… he was my butler.”

Makoto frowned and moved closer to Togami. He gently placed his hand under his chin and turned his head to face him. “Togami… I- I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that…” Togami’s eyes shined and sparkled with unshed tears that he probably never had the opportunity to let out. Makoto wrapped his arms around Togami and nuzzled into his neck. He sighed. “I promise you that when we get out of here, I’m going to  _ destroy _ your father.” 

Togami chuckled wetly. “I’d like to see you try…”

“Is that a challenge? I’m the best highschool assassin around. I can do _ anything. _ ”

They both laughed together. 

Togami’s arms tightened around Makoto. “Naegi…?”

Makoto hummed in acknowledgement. 

“Thank you. Thank you for being my friend.”

Makoto smiled widely and felt tears prick at his eyes from the overwhelming sweetness in his voice. “ _ Anytime _ ,  _ Byakuya. _ ”

________________________

The next morning when Makoto exited his room to go to the dining hall, he heard a scream coming from the dining hall! Makoto ran as fast as he could down the hallway and he rushed inside. 

Once he bolted in, he spotted Hagakure. “Naegi! We got a  _ big _ problem, man!” He gestured to Asahina and Jill, who were in the center of the room. Asahina was crouched on the floor, holding her arm, while Jill loomed in front of her, scissors out. Makoto dashed in between them, concerned. “Jill,  _ what _ are you doing?”

“Obviously I’m putting  _ milk bags _ in her place! Just get her out of my sight, or else I’ll start cutting, and cutting, and cutting, and indulging myself for who knows how long!”   
  
Makoto frowned but complied anyway. “Come on Hagakure, let’s get Asahina to the nurse's office.”

Makoto helped her up and led her there with Hagakure following close behind. 

Once he had finished cleaning up her wound, she had seemed to calm down. 

“Th-thank you…” She said gratefully.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes, I’m okay. It was just a scratch, after all.”

Makoto frowned. “What even happened?”

“Oh… we just got into a fight and I lost my temper.” Makoto nodded in understanding… It must’ve been about Ogami.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Ogami’s large figure quickly entered the room and made a mad dash for Asahina.

“Asahina… You’re hurt. What happened?”

“Oh, n-nothing. It’s not a big deal!” She said, trying to cover for Fukawa. 

“Naegi, Hagakure! What is the meaning of this!?”

Makoto fully intended to keep quiet for Asahina’s sake, but Hagakure was so scared he started to speak.

“I-it wasn’t me! It was Genocide Jill! It’s all that demented murderer’s fault!”

Ogami’s gaze darkened as she seethed with anger.

“I’m okay, really! It’s  _ just _ a scratch…”

Ogami shouted. “Unforgivable… I can’t forgive them!”

Hagakure yelped. 

Ogami stared at him with her dark gaze. “Hagakure… if you want to hate someone, hate me! If you want to hurt someone, hurt me!”

Hagakure trembled. “I d-don’t _ hate  _ you…”

Ogami shouted once again.

“S-s-s-somebody save me!” Hagakure screeched. He suddenly bolted out of the room.”

A second later, Kirigiri entered the room. “What is all this noise about?” She crossed her arms as she stood in the doorway. “I gather that something happened?”

Makoto nodded. “Asahina and Jill got into a fight, so Hagakure and I took Asahina here. Then, Ogami joined us and got  _ really _ angry about it.”

Ogami still looked angry, but she seemed to calm down a bit. “I’m okay… I won’t do anything. I’m drawing a line right here, and now. Goodbye.” Makoto raised an eyebrow at her words. 

“Wait, Ogami!” Asahina ran after her. 

Makoto sighed. The only two people that were left in the room were himself and Kirigiri. Right as he was about to walk past her, she stopped him. “I’d like you to come somewhere with me. I have business there.” Makoto nodded. “Okay…?” When she didn’t elaborate, he just sighed. “I’ll come with you.” She then turned on her heel and started walking. “Let’s go.”

She had led him to the bathhouse. He wondered why she needed to be in there.

Once they had entered, Kirigiri turned to him. “Alter Ego has business with us. They asked me to bring others to see him. Apparently, they have something they want to ask us.” He nodded. Makoto stepped up to the laptop, and Alter Ego began speaking. 

“Hello. Oh, um, is it just the two of you?” Kirigiri typed an answer swiftly.  _ ‘Is two not enough?’ _

“No, it’s okay. Two should be plenty.”

Kirigiri asked what Alter Ego needed to tell them, her hands gliding across the keyboard. 

“I’d like you to take me somewhere where I can access the school network.”

Kirigiri looked surprised. “What?” Makoto looked over at her, and they locked eyes. Alter Ego wants them to do that? 

_ ‘Why?’ _ She asked. 

“You said my job was done, right? But to stop here… I don’t want that! I want to keep being helpful to everyone! I want to work as hard as everyone else so that we can get out of here! That’s what master would want too… The only way I can help is if you can connect me to the school network!”

Makoto was almost flattered. Alter Ego might’ve been a computer program, but it seemed like they truly did want to help everyone. Although, doing that would basically be suicide. 

“I realize how dangerous it could be…” As if reading their minds, Alter Ego continued. “But still… I have to do this. I’m scared, but I can handle it. If it’s for the sake of everyone else, I won’t be afraid!”

Makoto sighed and turned to Kirigiri. “I don’t know if I want them to do it… It would be suicide! Even though they are just a computer program, I still believe that they are our friend.”

Kirigiri nodded. “You’re right. Alter Ego _ is _ our friend. And, to be honest, I don’t want them to push themselves anymore. If we take any more risks, the mastermind will notice. But, let’s do it. Let's connect them to the network. I want to take their feelings into consideration.”

Makoto nodded. “Okay. But, where are we going to do it?”

“There’s one place where the mastermind might not notice.”

Makoto nodded in realization. “The secret room.”

Kirigiri smirked. “Yes. I remember seeing an ethernet port on the wall, so I’m sure you can connect to the internet from there. We’re just going to have to be very careful. The mastermind could be monitoring the network somehow, or they could see us taking Alter Ego in there.”

Makoto nodded. “I’m sure we can do it. I can carry the laptop there. You couldn’t hide it with what you’re wearing, so I’ll do it.”

She smiled softly. “Okay then. Thank you. Let’s get started.”

Makoto nodded with determination. Makoto picked Alter Ego up and stuffed the laptop underneath his jacket. 

Kirigiri turned to him. “In the secret room, there are many cables in one of the desk drawers. Assuming the mastermind hasn’t taken it already, a network cable should be in there.”

Makoto nodded. “Then let’s go check it out.”

With that, they both left the bathhouse and headed up to the second floor. 

Once they were in front of the bathroom, Kirigiri stopped him. “Are you sure that all of the documents are gone? I refuse to believe you! Go check again!” She said. Makoto was confused for a moment but then realized that it was intended to trick the mastermind. “Okay…” he then made his way into the bathroom. “And be thorough!”

Once he had gone inside he made quick work of entering the secret room. He brought Alter Ego out of his jacket and set the laptop on the desk. He checked each desk drawer for the cables. Once he had located the one that contained them, he started to rummage around. Eventually, he found a network cable. 

He went over to the back wall to find the ethernet port and plugged it in, going back over to Alter Ego and sticking the other end in the laptop. Thank goodness that it worked, but there was no telling whether or not the mastermind would find out about it. 

He waited for a moment for Alter Ego, and finally, they spoke. “I think it worked! Just leave the rest to me! I’m sure I’ll find something. Just hold tight and put your faith in me!” 

Makoto smiled and before he left, he typed one last message to Alter Ego.  _ ‘No matter what, we’re all going to get out of here. You and the rest of us, as friends.’ _

“Friends…? Even me? Thank you. Thank you, Naegi.”

Makoto smiled to himself and left the bathroom. 

“How did it go?” Kirigiri asked. 

“It went okay… but all of the documents were gone, just as I said.”

“I see. Then there’s nothing left for us here. Goodbye.” Kirigiri spun around and walked away. 

With nothing left to do there, Makoto went back to his room. He laid down on his bed and sat there for a while, and he had no idea how much time had passed. 

* * *

Suddenly, Makoto was shocked out of his dazed state by someone ringing his doorbell. He got up and out of bed, his muscles creaking with the effort. He made his way over to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by Kirigiri. She had a serious expression on her face. “Naegi, get out here.”

“What happened?”

“Asahina came to see me. She was white as a ghost. It sounds like something happened.”

Makoto gasped. 

“She said for us to come to the rec room.”

Makoto nodded. “Then let’s go.”

They both walked hastily all the way up to the third floor, and to the rec room. Once they arrived, Makoto saw Asahina standing near the door, looking extremely worried. 

“Kirigiri, Naegi! S-something’s not right… In the rec room...”

Makoto jogged up to the door and peeked through the window. Inside he noticed Ogami sitting on a chair, unmoving. She seemed to be unconscious. Kirigiri, who was hovering over his shoulder, gasped. “Did something happen to her?”

“I was just walking past, and I happened to notice her through the window…” Asahina said. “I couldn’t get the door open… I tried knocking and calling for her, but she never responded…” Makoto frowned. Either Ogami was trying to keep people out or… She was dead. 

Asahina started to panic. “What are we gonna’ do…?”

Makoto steeled himself. “The rec room door doesn’t have a lock, so the only way it wouldn’t open is if a chair or something was pressing against the door. Since the door  _ doesn’t _ have a lock, I don’t think that Monokuma’s new rule applies. So…” He paused. 

He raised his elbow and rammed it into the window, smashing it. He stuck his hand through the now available opening and started to jostle the chair holding the door. Eventually, he was able to knock it down and push open the door. 

Makoto dashed inside and ran to Ogami, his hand flew to her neck to search for a pulse, but she was stone cold. 

No matter how hard he tried to find one, he couldn’t.

There was no doubt in his mind…

Ogami Sakura was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if I'm being honest, that chapter got way out of hand. I didn't intend for it to be so long, over 11000 words to be precise, but I just found so many opportunities to write so many things and... it became 11000 words. Well, there isn't much I can do about that now. Oh, I also like to tell you guys about where you can follow me on other platforms, in case you were interested. 
> 
> On tumblr and wattpad you can find me under the same name as here- cosmoenot  
> On Instagram, you can find me under cosmoe.art  
> On discord, you can add me as a friend so we can chat @tamagoyakki #9522 I'm always looking for new friends :)
> 
> Now, you can follow me if you'd like :)
> 
> Also, if you're still here, drop a comment even if you have already. I've said this before but seeing them really makes my day and helps me stay motivated. I truly love all of you- you're all so kind! Have a nice day, and I'll see you the next time I update!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Byakuya team up to solve Ogami's murder, but Makoto isn't sure they're on the right track...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back, and it hasn't been very long, so I'm proud of myself! Happy new year everyone! Also, just a warning, this chapter is 12000 words long. Yes, yes, I know things are getting out of hand, but just bear with me. I've created a format where I do trials and investigations all in one chapter, and for the sake of consistency, I'm sticking with it. Another warning, I did not have the patience to read through this, nor will I ever have the patience to do so, therefore this has been copy-pasted from google docs and is probably riddled with mistakes. If you find any, tell me in the comments and I'll fix them. That's all the editing this is getting, haha. Anywho, let's get into the longest chapter in this fic by far!

Before Makoto had the chance to console Asahina about her now deceased friend, the body discovery announcement played. This further cemented the fact that Ogami had now departed from the living.

Asahina, who was still standing in the doorway, spoke. “Ogami… Ogami’s dead…?” 

Kirigiri frowned. “We didn’t make it in time… it happened again.”

Asahina stood still, shock written plainly over her features. “I-I have to go get them… I have to go get… the others…” On shaky legs, Asahina left the rec room to gather the others. Makoto frowned. He needed to give her a hug later… she looked like she needed one.

Kirigiri wasted no time and turned to start examining the body, and Makoto joined her. 

He inspected Ogami’s slumped over corpse and noticed that blood had dripped from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. What could that be from? He also noticed some blood in her hair, and with further examining, he noticed that she had been hit over the head. He moved her hair once more to check for anything else strange, and he found a second wound. She was hit over the head twice, not just once. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: STATUS OF OGAMI’S BODY**

Once they had finished examining her body, Asahina walked through the door to the rec room with everyone else following close behind her. As they all filed into the room, he heard many people speak their opinions on the situation.

Hagakure yelped. “Ogre!?”

“Oh. So she’s dead, huh?” Jill stated simply.

Togami hummed. “Ogami… very interesting.”

Kirigiri immediately began talking. “You heard the announcement. You know what this means.”

Togami nodded. “Ogami is dead. She was murdered by someone in this very room.”

Asahina, who was still in shock, protested. “She wasn’t killed by just someone in this room… She was killed by either you, Hagakure or Fukawa!” She accused. 

“You’re accusing us before we’ve even started the investigation?” Togami huffed. 

“I don’t need to investigate anything… Because you hated her! One of you did it, I know it!”

Before Asahina could yell any more, Monokuma appeared. “Well, you’re certainly fired up.”

Asahina sneered at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m obviously here to hand out my little murder flyer… Here it is!” He tossed them each a black folder. “The Monokuma file! Good luck!” With that, he left. 

Asahina was about to say something, but Kirigiri cut her off. “Well, now our only priority is to find the culprit. If we don’t, we’re all dead.”

“Then let’s figure out who is going to stand guard this time,” Togami said.

Asahina gritted her teeth. “I’ll do it…”

“Asahina…” Makoto said, concerned. 

“I’m okay… Just let me handle it…! Besides, I want to be here with Ogami!” Tears sprang to her eyes.

“Then Asahina is guard number one. We need a second guard. Kirigiri, that’s you.” Togami stated.

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“You’re always a thorn in my side. This time just stand by and watch quietly. Consider that an order.” Togami looked over at Makoto with a strange expression on his face, but before he could read too much into it, Togami looked away.

“Fine. I’ll stay behind.” This time, Kirigiri was the one to give him a strange look. 

“Then it’s settled. Let’s begin, shall we?”

“Wait. Before we begin, I have something I’d like to say…” Asahina began. “Hagakure, Togami, Fukawa- none of you are allowed to step foot on the crime scene.” Tears welled up in her eyes once more. “One of you killed Ogami! I won’t let someone like that come near her!”

Togami scoffed and he scowled at her. “Don’t be stupid! Our lives are in as much danger as yours! We have  _ every  _ right to investigate.”

“I don’t care what you say…! I’m not letting the one who killed Ogami anywhere near her!”

Makoto looked over at Togami. “Togami… just comply. I’ll investigate in here for you, and I’ll tell you everything I find.”

Togami mulled over his words for a second, before nodding. “Whatever. Let’s just get started. We have limited time before the trial.”

With that, they all started their investigations. 

> **< <INVESTIGATION: START!>>**

Makoto began his investigation, as always, by reading the Monokuma file.

> _ Victim: Ogami Sakura _
> 
> _ Time of Death: Approximately 12 noon. _
> 
> _ The corpse was discovered in the rec room on the third floor of the school. _
> 
> _ Cause of Death: There is evidence of a strong blow to the head. No other injuries were noted. However, it seems at some point that the victim suffered from violent vomiting of blood.  _

Makoto frowned. There was no concrete cause of death here… it just said that there was evidence of a blow to the head. That might not be what she died from, so he had to figure out the true cause of death. He thought back to earlier when he was examining Ogami’s corpse with Kirigiri. She had blood dripping out of the corner of the mouth, which corresponded to the Monokuma file saying that she had vomited blood, but if no other injuries were noted then the most likely cause for this would be… poisoning. It checked out too since the chem lab has just opened for them. Although, he’d need to find more concrete evidence first…

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA FILE #4**

There was also a certain… complication that he would have to figure out. When they had arrived at the rec room, it was barred shut with a chair, so the killer would’ve had to escape before blocking the door… a locked room murder. Although, there was one simplistic explanation for everything, but he wasn’t sure if that’s what truly happened. He supposed he'd figure it out later. 

There were two likely possibilities as to how the killer pulled this off. Either they locked the room after committing the crime, or they stayed in the room until the room was opened. 

Makoto sighed. He’d have to do more thinking on this…

He quickly got back on track and began investigating the area around Ogami’s body. First, he noticed a small wrapper. Asahina seemed to notice him staring at it.

“Ah, that’s- that’s the wrapper to the candy that I gave Ogami…”

Makoto raised an eyebrow at her.

“Remember when Ogami got really angry when Jill and I had a fight? When we left the nurse’s office I gave it to her to help her calm down… I found a big box in the warehouse. I really like ‘em. Actually, as soon as I found ‘em, I took the entire box back to my room. I made sure that no one else could get their hands on ‘em.”

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: POLKA DOT CANDY WRAPPER**

Makoto’s eyes travelled behind the chair that Ogami was sitting on. He spotted red shatter red glass shards. He walked over to them and inspected them closely. He noticed that they once made up a red bottle, and he also found a small Monokuma figure amongst the glass. They looked to be the remnants of one of those bottles on a nearby shelf. They were red with little Monokuma’s inside them. He wondered why one would be broken.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: FIGURE ON THE FLOOR**

When he inspected the bottles on the shelf in question, he noticed that there were only four, each with the little Monokuma holding a different chess piece. There were two empty spaces on the shelf, and he assumed that two bottles were originally there. He could figure out what happened to one of them, but not what happened to the other. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA BOTTLE**

Things were starting to make sense. It was safe to assume that one of the missing bottles was the one lying on the floor in shards and that the wound on Ogami’s head was inflicted by it.

Makoto was drawn to the corner of the room, where he found an open locker. When he inspected it close, he noticed handprints on the dust coating the inside of the door. He wondered who was in there… He knew it couldn’t have been the killer. He remembered absentmindedly noticing that the locker in the back was open when he looked through the window of the room earlier. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: LOCKER HANDPRINT**

Once he finished checking out the locker, his eyes scanned across the room. He noticed a very prominent bloodstain in front of the magazine rack. Ogami must’ve been bleeding over there before she got to the chair…

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MAGAZINE SHELF BLOODSTAIN**

The last thing that Makoto needed to check out in this room was the entryway. On top of all of the glass he had knocked from the window, there was a plastic container… It looked like a protein drink. He remembered hearing both Ogami and Ashina conversing about them. He knew they both liked them a lot. That solved the first mystery regarding the container, but not the most pressing issue. Why was it on top of the glass? 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: EMPTY PROTEIN DRINK**

Before Makoto left the rec room, he wanted to talk to Asahina and Kirigiri. He might get some useful information.

He walked up to Asahina. Sensing that he was about to ask her something regarding the case, she frowned. “I already know who did it. It was Fukawa, Hagakure, or Togami! It _ had _ to be one of them!”

Makoto frowned at her. “I’m… not so sure about that yet.”

“Well let me help you figure it out then. You see, Ogami invited all three of them to meet her. You know where? Right here in the rec room. A while after we left the nurse’s office, she went off on her own. But later, she came to tell me that she had left a note for each of them. She asked them to meet her in the rec room by noon.” Asahina faltered. “I tried to stop her… but she wouldn’t listen to me.” tears welled up in her eyes, and they spilled down her cheeks. “If only I had stopped her, none of this would’ve happened.”

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: ASAHINA’S ACCOUNT**

Makoto frowned and decided to embrace Asahina in a hug. He cried on his shoulder for a few minutes until her sobs died down and her tears stopped flowing. She moved her head to look at him and smiled softly. “Thank you Naegi.” He smiled back at her. “No problem. I’m always here for you if you need me. Although, I should probably keep investigating. I promise you I’ll find who did this.”

With that, he left Asahina’s arms and walked over to Kirigiri. All she had to say to him was, “For Ogami to die… she wouldn’t go down without a fight. I wonder how they got the upper hand…? Or if they did in the first place…”

Makoto wondered the same thing. Maybe the killer didn’t get the upper hand on her… He figured that Kirigiri had a similar hypothesis to him. 

As he approached the rec room door, he took note of the chair that was holding the door shut, and the door itself. The door showed no signs of tapering, which meant that the door was definitely blocked from the inside.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: REC ROOM DOOR**

With his investigation of the crime scene finished, he left to fill Togami in on what he missed.

He stepped outside the rec room, prepared to go on a witch hunt to find the boy he was looking for, but surprisingly, he was quietly waiting in the hall. Makoto smiled. He walked towards him and waved. 

“Sorry, that took a while… there was quite a bit to investigate, and I ended up comforting Asahina…”

Togami shrugged. “Whatever. We still have time. So?”

Makoto recounted everything that he had found to Togami. Once he was finished, Togami looked away. “I… Thank you for telling me what you found.” Makoto smiled at him. “No problem. I’d gladly do that again.” Makoto paused for a moment. “Before we go investigate something else, I have something I’d like to ask you.”

Togami raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

“I was wondering if you got a note from Ogami earlier?”

“You found out about that?”

Makoto nodded. 

“Yes, I did get a note from her. One detailing to meet her in the rec room by noon. Of course, I didn’t comply. You’d have to be a fool to go somewhere alone with someone else.”

Makoto nodded once more. “Thanks. I just needed to confirm that.” So Ogami _ had  _ asked them to meet her. Now all he needed to do was go confirm with the others if they had also gotten a note from her. “Now, I need to go and chat with Fukawa and Hagakure. I’m sure they’re in their rooms by now, so I’m going to head over to the dorms. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like. Although when I speak to Fukawa… You’re probably going to want to stand around the corner so she won’t see you.”

Togami shrugged. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t.” With that, they walked to the dorms together. 

First, Makoto made his way over to Fukawa’s dorm while Togami stood near the dining hall and waited for him. He rang her doorbell and waited for a second, and after not too long, her door opened a crack and he could see her peering through the opening. “W-what do you want…?” She asked.

“I’d just like to ask you something.”

Fukawa huffed, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t close her door, so he assumed that he was free to speak. 

“I was just wondering if Ogami happened to give you a note earlier?”

“I-I d-don’t know what y-you’re t-talking about!” She exclaimed. Makoto frowned. He had a feeling that this wasn’t exactly the case…

“Togami told me that Ogami also asked him to meet her.”

“She a-asked master t-too?” Fukawa gasped. “I j-just said  _ too _ , didn’t I…”

Makoto smirked. He got her to admit it. “So, could you tell me about it?”

“I-I didn’t go see her! I was s-scared, so I c-couldn’t bring myself to g-go…”

Makoto wasn’t sure whether he believed her, but he nodded. “Thank you Fukawa. That’s all I needed to hear.” As soon as he uttered the words, her door shut. He sighed. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: FUKAWA’S ACCOUNT**

He walked back over to where Togami was waiting for him. “Fukawa said that she got a note from Ogami too, but that she didn’t go… although something tells me that she’s lying… Anyway, We should go talk to Hagakure now.”

Togami nodded. 

They both made their way to Hagakure’s dorm and rang the doorbell. After a while, the door opened, and Hagakure stepped out. 

“What’s up, Naegi? Did you need something?” He said, ignoring Togami’s presence. It was probably for the best…

“Yeah, I actually just wanted to ask you if Ogami asked to meet with you?”

“H-how did you know about that!? Did you gaze into my soul…? B-but I’m not the only one she wanted to meet with. She told me that she was also meeting with Togami and Fukawa.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “When did she tell you that?”

“O-h, well- when she asked me to meet with her, of course!” Hagakure’s voice wavered. Makoto was suspicious of his claims as well… he had a feeling that both he and Fukawa had  _ something _ to do with this case…

“But, didn’t she write you a note?”

“A n-note? Yeah… uh, a note… she, uh… She gave it to me in person! And she happened to mention the other, like, in passing!”

Makoto’s suspicion grew. “So, did you go and meet with her?”

“No way, I totally didn't! Why would I _ ever _ do that!? The last time I saw her was when Asahina got hurt and we were in the nurse's office. I haven’t seen her since then!”

Togami scoffed. It seemed that he also picked up on Hagakure’s lies. Not like it was difficult to miss them, though...

“Okay… Could you show me the note she gave you?”

Hagakure started rummaging around in his pockets. “Sure, if I still have it…”

After a bit, he had a sorry expression on his face and pulled his hands out of his pockets. Before he could apologize though, something fluttered down to the ground. It was one of the polka dot candy wrappers. Makoto gasped softly. The only way he could’ve gotten one was if he had gone to meet Ogami. He doubted that Asahina would’ve given him one. Hagakure was definitely lying.

Before Makoto could mention the wrapper, Hagakure screeched and snatched it up, stuffing it back into his pocket. “S-sorry… that’s just some old trash that I forgot to throw out… Anyway, I can’t deny that Ogami asked me to mee, but I never went! So, please excuse me...” Suddenly, Hagakure retreated to his room and the door closed in their faces. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: POCKET TRASH**

Makoto turned to Togami. “He’s lying.”

Togami nodded. “It really is obvious…”

“Either way, we should go investigate somewhere else. I have a… theory. But before I bring it up to anyone, I really need to find more evidence. I don’t want to sound completely insane…”

“Alright. Where are we going? I have a few ideas myself...”

“The chem lab. I’d like to find more about the protein drink container that I found.”

Togami nodded, and they went on their way.

Once they arrived, Makoto went straight to the back of the room. Immediately, his eye was drawn to the broken bottle on the ground. There was a yellow power that had previously been contained inside it, all over the floor in front of the cabinet. Upon closer inspection, the bottle's label read ‘CHEM C-4.’ He also noticed that it had a skull and crossbones symbol underneath the letters.  _ Poison. _

Togami, who was beside him, spoke up. “I was on the fourth floor this morning, checking things out, and at that point… this room wasn’t like this. I think that this happened around the time of the murder.”

Makoto nodded. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: SOURCE OF THE POWDER**

Makoto’s eyes scanned all of the powder on the floor, and he noticed many footprints in front of the left shelf. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: FOOTPRINTS IN THE POWDER**

Togami frowned in concentration. “How do these footprints relate to the scene as a whole…? We may need to sketch out a floor plan.”

Makoto scoffed. “By _ we _ , do you mean  _ me? _ ”

With an insufferable smirk, Togami pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of nowhere. When did he get those? “How kind of you to offer.” Makoto huffed out a laugh and shook his head. He snatched the paper and pen from Togami. When he didn’t move to make the floor plan, Togami smirked again. “Well, let’s go. Chop, chop!” Makoto chuckled and got to work, with Togami hovering over his shoulder. After a little while, he had finally finished the sketch.

“I’m not the best artist but, here you go.” He handed the paper and pen back to Togami.

Togami’s eyes scanned over the paper for a moment before nodding. “It seems like whoever left those footprints only had business at the left shelf. When they came in, they went straight to that shelf, did what they needed to do, and left. Naegi. Are these footprints yours?”

Makoto scoffed. “What, you think I killed Ogami? Whatever method was used isn’t  _ flashy  _ enough for me.” He joked. Togami huffed out a laugh. “I asked because you are one of the only people here who wear sneakers. So I’ll confirm the size isn’t the same.”

Makoto walked over to the left shelf and hovered his foot next to one of the footprints. “See, they’re too big. Satisfied?”

“Yes. Now, all we have to do is identify who the prints actually belong to. They are very prominent so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Makoto nodded. “We can do that later. Right now I want to refresh my memory on what is in the left cabinet.” He walked over to it, being careful not to disturb the powder, and he looked inside. It seemed to be full of many dietary supplements and different medicines. This is most likely the shelf that the protein drink from the rec room originally came from. Each bottle in this section was labeled ‘A,’ so he assumed that this was section A. Although, he saw something that didn’t belong with the others. The bottle read ‘CHEM C-9’ and had a similar look to the broken bottle on the floor. That must be from section C. And from his investigation, he could assume that section C contained the lethal poisons.

To double-check his hypothesis, he checked the other two cabinets. The middle cabinet contained many different chemicals. He wasn't sure what they all did, but he was an assassin, not a scientist. These chemicals were labelled ‘B,’ so it was safe to say that this was section B. The right cabinet contained poisons as he’d thought. This was section C. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: CHEM LAB SHELF**

Makoto nodded to himself. He had looked at everything he wanted to in the rec room, so he turned to Togami. “I’ve seen everything I needed too in here. I’m going to go back to the rec room for a bit to look into some things. You’re welcome to come with me again, but you’d have to wait outside again.”

“Alright. I think I might come along with you, but if I’m not there when you leave, it’s because I’m conducting my own investigation.” 

Makoto nodded. “Okay. let’s go.” They both left the chem lab, going down the stairs to the third floor.

Once they had arrived in the rec room, Makoto proceeded inside, and Togami waited for him outside. As soon as he entered the room, Kirigiri asked how his investigation was going. He told her about the things that Togami, Fukawa, and Hagakure had said. 

“I see… so they’re all claiming that they didn’t meet her. But it’s all too convenient. Someone must be lying.” She paused. “Well, I’ve made some progress on my own. It would probably benefit you to take another look around the room.” She subtly glanced towards the magazine shelf. Makoto nodded. That’s what he was planning on doing anyway. 

Once he was done talking to Kirigiri, he began to investigate the rec room for the second time. He first went to the magazine shelf to see what Kirigiri seemed to be hinting at. He scanned the shelf, and the only thing he noticed that was out of place was that one of the magazines was upside down. He didn’t know what else she could’ve been silently referring to, so he picked it up and flipped through the pages. He paused on one of the pages when he saw blood. Where he had stopped, someone had written ‘Fukawa’ in blood on the page. 

He furrowed his brows. He didn’t think that Fukawa did it, so why would Ogami have written this in a magazine…? Or maybe it  _ wasn’ _ t Ogami. Although that begs the question of why it was upside down. He doubted Kirigiri just put it back that way… no. She definitely would’ve put it back the way she found it. So why…? He swiftly closed the magazine before Asahina could take a look. The last thing he needed was for her to jump to conclusions again. 

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED** **: MAGAZINE DYING MESSAGE**

Makoto closely inspected the other parts of the room, and when he got to the Monokuma bottles, Kirigiri walked over to him. “Something’s been bothering me about these… I’d like to conduct an experiment, and I want you to help me.” Makoto nodded. He was sure that Kirigiri had a good reason for this.

“Can you gather up all the pieces of the broken bottle for me? Try your best to get all of them, even the smaller ones.” She asked. 

“Sure thing.”

“Anyway, I need to go pick something up from the chem lab. While I’m gone, gather the glass.” Makoto nodded and Kirigiri went on her way. 

Makoto took a broom and dustpan from the corner of the room and swept up all of the pieces. Once he was finished, Kirigiri stepped back into the room. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s get to work.”

“What kind of experiment are we doing?”

“I got a scale from the chem lab. We're going to use it to compare weights.” Makoto nodded. She was probably looking to compare the weight of the intact Monokuma bottles and the broken one. She probably noticed that two were most likely missing as well. 

“First let’s compare the weight of two intact Monokuma bottles.” She retrieved two bottles from the shelf and brought them over. She placed one on each side, and the scale was balanced. “They’re both about the same weight.” Makoto noticed aloud. 

“So, it’s safe to assume that all of the bottles weigh about the same amount. Now, put the pieces you found on the scale. What might we expect to find?”

“Well, you would expect the scales to be balanced once again or the pieces I collected would be lighter… but that’s not why we’re doing this. You want to see if we’ll get the unspoken third option. I’d also like to test this out, so allow me.”

Makoto removed one of the Monokuma bottles and put all of the glass shards he had collected inside a clear plastic bag, alongside the Monokuma figure. He carefully set it on the scale, and just as they were expecting… “It’s heavier,” he said simply. Kirigiri nodded. “I suppose we’re on the same page, then. Well, I’ll leave you to your investigation.” With that, she walked away to another part of the room.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA BOTTLE EXPERIMENT**

The last thing that Makoto wanted to check before the trial was Ogami’s corpse. He wanted to look at her shoes to see if he was right about who either created the footprints or spilled the poison.

He walked over to her body and crouched down. He examined both of her shoes closely, and low and behold on her shoes, was the very same poison he found in the chem lab. It was on the top of them. He gently lifted her legs to see the bottom of her shoes, but there was no powder there. She was definitely the one who spilled the poison… But she wasn’t the one who created the footprints in it.

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: YELLOW POWDER**

He then turned his head upwards to take a good look at her hands. No blood. That confirmed that she didn’t write Fukawa’s name in that magazine...

Kirigiri walked over to him. Did you find anything else strange about her corpse?”

“Yes, but not much more than I did before.”

Kirigiri nodded. “You found that she had two blows to the head?”

“Yes,” Makoto said.

“And that her shoes had yellow powder on them.”

“Yes.”

“And that her hands had nothing on them. No blood. Not a trace of  _ anything. _ ”

“Yes.”

Kirigiri chuckled. “It seems that you don’t need my help, do you? You just keep getting more  _ interesting… _ ”

> **< <TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: KIRIGIRI’S EXAMINATION SUMMARY**

Suddenly, the monitor in the room turned on, and Monokuma appeared to announce that the trial was about to begin. Makoto quickly filed out of the room and joined up with Togami again. They both started to make their way down to the first floor. 

“So, did you find what you were looking for?” He asked. 

“I’ll share everything with you during the trial. Sorry, you’re going to have to wait until then.”

“It doesn't matter, as long as we solve this case.”

“Did you just wait for me, or did you go off to look for clues?”

“I went back to the chem lab. Let’s just say that I found something… quite interesting.”

In no time, they had already approached the large red doors. They both took a deep breath in and braced themselves before walking inside. 

After a while, the rest of them had gathered in the waiting room. Makoto sighed softly. Their numbers were dropping, and fast. He just wished that this would stop. He didn’t think that the others trapped in here with him- his  _ friends _ , deserved to die.

Knowing exactly how to kill the mood, Monokuma popped up. “It’s time to board the elevator! I’ll see you all down there!” And just like that, he was gone. Reluctantly, everyone boarded the elevator. He hoped that they would survive this trial… for some reason he felt like the stakes were much higher, and therefore the chance that they would fail increased.

The elevator began to descend and after not long, it stopped abruptly and the doors opened to the trial room. Everyone walked out and found their podiums. Monokuma chuckled. “Well aren’t you guys getting used to this! You know exactly what to do! Well, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t begin!” Mononkuma began to refresh their memories on the rules of the trial, but he stopped short. “Oh, you don’t need to hear this, do you? You’ve heard it three times before… I honestly don’t know why I repeat myself so often… Anywho! Let’s begin!”

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: IN SESSION!>>**

Before a voice of reason could gracefully begin the trail, Asahina spoke. “We already know who did it! It was obviously Fukawa, Hagakure, or Togami! They hated her!”

Togami scoffed, and the other two being accused stuttered out their responses. 

Asahina looked at Kirigiri and Makoto. “They had to have done it! They have a motive! They hated her!” She reiterated.

“That’s the only reason you have?” Hagakure asked. 

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: ASAHINA’S ACCOUNT**

Makoto shook his head. “No, it’s not. She thinks that you three are the most suspicious because you each got a note for Ogami, asking you to meet her around the time she died. I can understand why she was suspicious of you.”

Asahina nodded aggressively. “See, there’s no doubt about it! It was one of them!”

Makoto frowned. “That’s not exactly what I was getting at…” He didn’t really agree with her. He still wasn’t convinced that one of the three were the culprit, although he couldn’t deny that at least a couple of them had  _ something  _ to do with this mystery. 

Brushing over his statement, Togami sighed. “I won’t deny that I got a note from her, but I never went.”

“I-I didn’t either…” Fukawa said.

Hagakure nodded his head. “Yeah, same here! I never saw her!”

Makoto frowned. That wasn’t the truth, was it Hagakure?

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: POCKET TRASH**

“Hagakure is lying.” Makoto said.

“W-what!? No, I’m not!”

“When we were talking earlier, you dropped a small piece of paper. A candy wrapper, precisely.”

Hagakure stared at him, shocked. “What does that have to do with anything!?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: POLKA DOT CANDY WRAPPER**

Makoto sighed. “It was the same kind of wrapper I found on the crime scene next to Ogami’s corpse. And if I remember correctly, Asahina told me that she gave the candy it once wrapped to Ogami earlier today when they left the nurse’s office to help her calm down. She also mentioned that the day she found them, she took the whole box to her room. Assuming that she didn’t give you one, it’s very likely that you went to meet Ogami.”

Asahina nodded. “Everything he said is true! It must’ve been Hagakure!”

Hagakure faltered for a moment before bouncing back. “Okay, I did meet up with her in the rec room! What of it!?” He paused for a moment, then began pleading. “But we just talked…! That’s all! I didn’t do anything, you gotta’ believe me!”

“You’re a-acting so suspicious…” Fukawa said.

“ _ You’re _ acting suspicious!” Hagakure shot back.

Fukawa gritted her teeth. “More hostility…”

“It’s not just regular hostility! You’re the real culprit! I even have proof!”

Fukawa suddenly looked very nervous. “H-huh? Proof? W-what are you t-talking about…?”

“I’m talking about her message!”

Makoto sighed loudly, drawing everyone’s attention to him. 

Hagakure looked concerned. “Hey… Naegi? Are you okay…?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: KIRIGIRI’S EXAMINATION SUMMARY**

Makoto just gave him a blank, disappointed stare. “I’m just going to stop you right in your tracks before you make things more complex than they need to be. What he’s talking about is in the rec room, on one of the pages of a magazine, is Fukawa’s name written in blood. Although, I don’t believe that Ogami wrote this. Her fingers were completely clean, and she wouldn’t be able to wash them if she was dying. Also, Hagakure. Don’t you remember that you weren’t allowed to investigate in the rec room? You were the one that wrote it.”

Togami gave him an amused smirk. Makoto didn’t have the will to smirk right now… Hagakure’s lack of critical thinking skills was… unfortunate.

Kirigiri nodded. “That makes a lot of sense.”

Hagakure yelped. “H-how did you-” He quickly stopped himself, discouraged. “Yeah.. yeah. That’s what happened.”

Makoto frowned. “Then, why did you do that?” Makoto already knew why. It was clearly because he thought he was the killer and needed to throw them off his trail. He just wanted Hagakure to confess himself, and explain to everyone what happened. 

Hagakure nodded sadly. “I-I killed her! But, please just let me explain what happened. I got Ogami’s note and went to the rec room around noon as she asked. When I got there, she asked me to wait for a bit because she had other people she expected as well. She also gave me that piece of candy… After that, we just stood in silence. After a while though, I heard her say under her breath,  _ ‘This is it. I’m going to end it today. I’m going to end… everything.’ _ As soon as I heard that, I knew she was planning to kill me, so I panicked and hit her over the head with one of the bottles in the rec room! It hit from behind before she knew anything was coming! Then she just went limp. I didn’t see her move after that… Once it was over, I realized that if I didn’t do anything, I’d be caught and executed, so I tried to frame Fukawa… After that, I ran away.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. Hagakure’s confession made some sense of things, but there was something missing… He distinctly remembered discovering earlier that Ogami had two head injuries… did Hagakure fail to mention that he hit her over the head twice? Or did someone else deal the second blow?

Before Makoto could bring up his thoughts, Asahina started to shout. “Then we can move on to voting now, right!? We know who did it!”

As if reading his mind, Kirigiri cut in. “No, I think that there’s more to Hagakure’s story.”

Makoto nodded. “I agree. Hagakure, how many times did you hit Ogami over the head?”

“Only once, why?” He asked, eyebrows raised. 

“Just as I thought.” Makoto began. “I don’t think that Hagakure was the one who killed her. Care to explain, Kirigiri?”

“Not at all. When Naegi and I were investigating, we discovered that Ogami had precisely two wounds on the back of her head.”

Togami smirked. “And remember, this girl examines bodies as a hobby. I’m inclined to believe her.”

Kirigiri ignored his statement and continued. “Therefore, someone else must’ve hit her the second time and finished the job. There’s also something else that it doesn’t explain.” She gave a pointed glance in Makoto’s direction.

“The magazine that had Fukawa’s name written on it was hidden. There would be no reason for Hagakure to hide it himself because it would just prohibit him from successfully framing Fukawa. So, it must’ve been someone else. Who but the person it incriminated would want to hide the message?”

Fukawa gasped. 

Hagakure nodded slowly. “I think he's right… I just left the magazine on the table.”

“He’s lying! He’s g-gotta be lying!” Fukawa stuttered. Makoto was unsure about which one of them she was referring to.

Makoto sighed. “If you need us to tell you outright, we think you lied about not going to the rec room and hit Ogami over the head with another Mononokuma bottle. We know that you did this because of the reasons disclosed, and because of one last piece of evidence.” He paused.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA BOTTLES**

“On the shelf, there were originally six bottles, to begin with. We know that because each one had a Monokuma figure inside it, that was holding a chess piece. In each bottle, the pieces were different. Clearly, Hagakure hit Ogami over the head with one of them, it shattered, and then at some point, you grabbed another one and hit her over the head once more.”

Fukawa was still trying to deny it, and Makoto sighed.

“We have even more proof if you need it.” He looked over at Kirigiri, and she nodded.

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA BOTTLE EXPERIMENT**

“Just because that last bottle seemed to have gone missing, we can still figure out its condition. Simply put, that last bottle was broken.”

“W-what makes you so sure!?” Fukawa asked.

“Kirigiri and I conducted an experiment earlier.” Makoto continued for her. “We got a scale from the chem lab and weighed one of the normal Monokuma bottles and the broken pieces that were on the floor. The pieces on the floor were heavier. That’s where I think the other Monokuma bottle went.”

Fukawa huffed. “I-I admit that there was a second attack, but you d-don’t have any solid evidence that I was even in t-the rec room!” 

Hagakure shook his head. “Actually, I just thought of something that proves Fukawa went there!”

“Really? Do tell.” Togami said. 

“When I got Ogami’s note, I went to the rec room early, and when I was approaching the door, I saw Fukawa walk in!” He said. “So when Ogami walked in, I came in after her, because I thought that Fukawa was there too, and I’d be safe… but when I walked in, Fukawa was gone!”

Togami sighed. “And you’ve _ just now _ decided to share this with us?”

“Sorry- but in the heat of thinking I murdered someone, I forgot all about it! So, Fukawa! Where did you disappear off to?”

Before Fukawa could protest, Makoto spoke in her place. “I know where she was. She was in the locker at the back of the room.”

“H-how-!?” Fukawa stuttered. 

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: LOCKER HANDPRINT**

“Well, first of all, there isn’t any other place to hide in there that I can think of. Second of all, on the inside of the locker door, there were handprints in the dust.”

Fukawa gasped loudly. She didn’t say anything for a while until Togami cleared his throat and glared at her.

“Stop wasting my time. Just tell us the truth.”

“O-okay.” She complied instantly. “It’s my handprint. A-and I... probably killed Ogami.”

“Dang,” Hagakure said, surprised. “She just straight-up admitted it!”

Asahina glared at Fukawa. And Makoto raised an eyebrow. “Fukawa, what do you mean by  _ probably? _ ”

Fukawa’s gaze dropped to the floor. Togami’s scowl deepened. “Talk. Now.”

“A-after I read Ogami’s note, I decided to go early. W-when I went into the rec room, Ogami wasn’t t-there, so I hid in the l-locker… I didn’t k-know what she might d-do if I didn’t go, but I was too scared t-to face her myself…”

Hagakure gaped at her. “So you saw me hit her?”

“Y-yes… and I saw you write my name…! So, after he left, I jumped out of the locker a-and put the magazine back on the shelf...” Makoto nodded his head. That’s why the magazine was upside down. Fukawa must’ve been in a hurry.

“Then why did you hit Ogami!?” Asahina questioned angrily.

“A-after I put the magazine back, I heard a s-sound behind me, like a monster g-growling… And when I turned around, there was Ogami, standing right in front of me, covered in blood… I fainted. I’m not sure what happened after that. If you want to know more… you’ll h-have to ask  _ her. _ ”

Suddenly, Fukawa sneezed.

“Guess who’s back!?” Jill crackled.

“Jill, can you tell us if you killed Ogami?” Makoto asked. 

“Well… I can’t say I know what’s going on but, earlier I was just minding my business, sleeping peacefully when someone shook me awake! When I opened my eyes to see who it was, Ogami was right there! Blood everywhere! I was not prepared for that! I got so startled, I hit her with the first thing I could find! That just so happened to be a bottle!”

“Ogami was worried about you…! And you-! You’re just  _ terrible! _ ”

“No,  _ she’s  _ terrible! Thanks to her, for the first time ever, I murdered someone who wasn’t an adorable boy!”

Kirigiri nodded. “And when it was all over, you collected the pieces of the bottle and threw them away?”

“I wasn’t about to die for some woman!”

“Well then, let’s start the vote!” Asahina said, once again. Makoto sighed, frustrated.

“Asahina! Just stop it, okay!? I know that you just want to find out who did this to your friend… but you have to stop. I’m still not convinced that it was one of them.”

“How!?” She asked. “Jill just confessed to it!” Makoto sighed. “Asahina. Just trust me on this, okay? There’s something that still doesn’t make sense to me…”

Togami nodded “Naegi is right. We found Ogami sitting upright in that chair. Unless Jill left out a crucial detail, she couldn’t have been the murderer.”

“Yep, I didn’t move Ogami! I left her on the ground! Master is right as always!”

“The only explanation for her body moving was that she still wasn’t dead,” Makoto concluded. 

“That’s just another lie!” Asahina accused. 

Makoto shook his head. “No, I’m sure she’s telling the truth. If you took a look at the crime scene, you would know.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MAGAZINE SHELF BLOODSTAIN**

“Ogami was definitely attacked near the magazine shelf.” Makoto continued. “The bloodstain in front of it is proof of that. I also doubt that Jill could’ve moved Ogami’s body up into the chair.”

Thankfully, that shut Asahina up. 

“Plus, the biggest mystery surrounding this case, the locked room, has yet to be solved,” Kirigiri added.

It didn’t take Asahina long to bounce back. “I know exactly how that happened! Jill hid in the locker and came out when everyone was entering the room!”

Makoto shook his head. “Before we even entered the room,” He gestured at himself and Asahina. “I distinctly remember the locker being open. Besides, we  _ just _ concluded that it wasn’t Jill.” 

Hagakure spoke up. “Well, if Ogami didn’t die from  _ either  _ of the shots to the head…”

“I can’t think of anything else she could’ve died from!” Asahina finished for him.

Togami huffed. “That’s because you’re overlooking vital information.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA FILE #4**

“Remember what the Monokuma file said? It mentioned that Ogami vomited blood… I have  _ many _ reasons to suspect that she was actually poisoned.”

Togami nodded in agreement. “That is the most likely cause.”

“She… was poisoned? It isn’t possible!” Asahina said in disbelief.

“Is it really that hard for you to believe? Then let me explain exactly how the culprit was able to poison her. The key to solving this mystery was hiding in the chem lab on the fourth floor. There is a large shelving unit at the back of the room that holds many different kinds of medicine, chemicals, and even lethal poisons. That’s where I found this…” Togami pulled out a small bottle from his pocket. Makoto realized that it read ‘CHEM C-9’ the same kind of poison that he suspected killed Ogami… What was he going to do? Makoto had a bad feeling. 

Hagakure yelped. “Is that poison!?”

“It’s not an especially strong poison, but it will still kill you if you drink an entire bottle. The specific properties don’t matter though, what matters is where I found it.”

Hagakure raised an eyebrow. 

“The shelving unit is divided into three sections, A, B, and C. In section a, there are dietary supplements and medicines; in section B, reagents; and in section C, poisons. Surprisingly though, the poison I found didn’t come from section C.”

Makoto nodded. He knew what Togami was talking about. Earlier he had spotted a poison bottle in section A. “It was in section A.” 

Togami nodded. “Strange, isn’t it? Why would poison be amongst all of those nutritional additives? It’s because the culprit switched it out.”

“W-what do you mean?” Asahina asked.

“I mean… this.” Togami suddenly raised the bottle to his lips, and Makoto panicked for a moment until he remembered who he was dealing with. Togami Byakuya would never risk endangering his life unless he was sure that it wouldn’t truly affect him. Makoto blew out a breath, and Togami downed the bottle.

Togami scoffed. “That tastes awful. What’s so ‘high-quality’ about this stuff?”

Hagakure raised an eyebrow. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the protein of course.”

Hagakure still looked confused as ever. Makoto sighed. “Togami didn’t just down a bottle of poison. He’s just trying to show you that the culprit actually switched out a bottle of poison for protein powder.”

“Can I see that bottle for a second?” Kirigiri asked. “Sure, Do whatever you’d like.” Togami handed her the bottle and she inspected it closely. She took her finger and scraped out some of the remaining powder. She touched her finger to her tongue. 

“Makoto’s right. This  _ is  _ protein powder.”

Togami nodded. “Which makes me wonder, what happened to the poison?”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET:** **EMPTY PROTEIN DRINK**

“I… I  _ think _ I know what happened to it. At the scene of the crime, there was an empty protein drink at the front of the room, so the culprit might’ve switched the poison and the protein and then Ogami drank it. Although… it still doesn’t explain _ that, _ it’s certainly more to go on than nothing.”

“Absolutely.” Togami agreed. “Now there's no question about how the culprit got Ogami to drink the poison. All they had to do was hand her the poison right at the scene, and she was happy to drink it herself.”

Everyone voiced their agreements. 

“And I already know who swapped the mixtures!” Togami declared confidently. Makoto wasn’t even sure _ he _ knew who did it… “Evidence revealing who did it was left in the chem lab for anyone to see.” Makoto knew where he was going with this. 

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: FOOTPRINTS IN THE POWDER**

“You’re talking about the footprints, right? In the chem lab, there was a spilled bottle of poison in front of the shelving unit. There were footprints leading to section A, and only section A.”

Togami nodded. “And with how clear the prints were, it will pose no problem to figure out who they belong to. We just have to check everyone’s footprints, and we’ll-”

Surprisingly, Asahina cut him off. “It was me. The footprints… they’re mine.”

Makoto gasped. He can’t say that he didn’t see this coming, but he didn’t really believe that she was the one to do it. He still had another idea. Although, it could be another case of someone believing that they killed someone, but it wasn’t truly them. After all, that had already happened twice during this trial.

“If you’re all gonna’ find out anyway…” She continued. “I’d rather you hear it straight from me, y’know?”

“O-Ogami’s killer was-” Hagakure sputtered. 

“Yep… I did it! I killed Ogami!” 

Togami’s glare zeroed in on her. “Just as I suspected. The footprints were made by a pair of sneakers, that much was obvious. It was just down to figuring out who’s sneakers. I checked with Naegi, and they weren’t his, so they  _ had _ to be yours. You two are the only ones who wear them. Plus, Asahina’s been acting strange since the trial. You were in a rush to vote, weren’t you? You’ve just been focusing on pinning the crime on someone else!”

“I… I can’t believe it.” Makoto stated simply.

Togami’s glare shifted to him. “What about it can’t you believe? I thought you were less  _ naive  _ than this.”

Makoto returned Togami's glare. “This is not about me being naive, Togami. It just- some things don’t make sense to me! Asahina has no motive. No matter if she admitted it or not, she couldn’t fake her feelings about Ogami. I could tell that she was being genuine. You’d have to be a monster to be able to fake caring about someone so convincingly. Something just… isn’t adding up.”

“Like _ what? _ ” Togami spat. “ _ What _ isn’t adding up? It’s clear as day who did it, and you just _ can’t _ believe it!”

“Fine then.” Makoto conceded. He turned to Asahina. “Tell me why you murdered your best friend.” He asked bluntly. She gasped at his words. She probably didn’t expect him to be capable of such harshness. She must not know him very well then. 

“I found her, there in the rec room, and she was hurt…” Asahina began. She was looking away, unable to meet anyone's eyes. He could tell that this was uncomfortable for her to talk about. “She asked me to bring her that protein drink. But, when I went to get the powder from the chem lab, something occurred to me.”

“ _ Now’s my chance to kill her.  _ That’s what you thought, right?” Togami inquired. “Then you switched out the powder for the poison and gave it to her, right?”

“And then… she downed it. All at once. And… then...”

“Hold it!” Kirigiri said. Makoto breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t the only one who thought that this wasn’t right either. “I think that Naegi’s right. I’m not convinced either. If you will?” Kirigiri looked over at him, and he nodded. 

Before he could get a word in though, Togami gave him a dark glare. He assumed that he was trying today something along the lines of, ‘If you cross me, you’ll regret it.’ Makoto glared right back. He couldn’t deny his feelings for Togami, and not now when they were getting stronger than ever, but he just  _ didn’t get it. _ He needed to show him that he was  _ wrong. _

“There’s still one unsolved problem, and I’m not convinced because of it. We still haven’t figured out the locked room mystery. We’ve combed through every obvious solution, and have disproved all of them! Asahina’s story doesn’t explain that.”

Kirigiri nodded. “If you really did kill Ogami, you’ll be able to explain how you locked the room.”

Asahina said nothing.

“Well? Are you telling us you don’t know?” Makoto asked.

“T-That doesn’t matter! Just because I’m the culprit, doesn’t mean I have to explain everything!”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “Well, the fact that you can’t tell us, concerns me. If you did kill Ogami, you should have no reason not to tell us. The only reason you would have to keep this from us is if you’re  _ lying. _ ”

Togami looked at him with wide eyes. “Surely you’re not- do you  _ honestly  _ think that Asahina didn’t kill her?”

“And if I do?”

“Impossible. She switched up the mixtures. She’s the culprit. There’s no way you can doubt this.”

“There is,” Kirigiri stated simply. Makoto nodded in agreement. 

“First of all, why would someone leave such obvious footprints? It’s almost as if she wanted people to suspect her. Not even Asahina is air-headed enough to miss footprints.” She gasped, offended.

Kirigiri nodded. “He’s right.” 

Togami huffed. “Go ahead and waste our time. It won’t change anything.”

Makoto ignored his statement and kept going.

“There's also one last detail that I haven’t mentioned. From what Asahina told us, we can infer that when she entered the chem lab, she went to section C of the shelving unit, retrieved the poison and dropped it, got a second bottle of poison, then went to section A to get the protein powder. Then she switched them. It’s that right?”

Asahina nodded her head. “That’s exactly what I did.”

“Then it doesn’t make sense… The footprints we found only lead to and from section A, so if actually did what you just confirmed, we would see footprints from section C to A. The fact that they aren’t there should be proof enough that you’re lying. If you went through the trouble of avoiding the powder all the way to section A, why would you carelessly leave footprints leading to section A?”

“What the- Asahina, what is the meaning of this!?” Togami looked very angry.

“U-um, well…”

“You lied to us, plain and simple,” Kirigiri stated. “The powder had been spilled when you came in, so you went straight to section A, and left. Whatever you did, it only involved section A.”

“What- what the hell is going on!?” Togami said, distressed. Makoto rolled his eyes. Leave it to Togami to be confused as to why he was  _ wrong. _

“And the footprints aren’t the only problem with her account. Before I explain that though, I’d like to submit some new evidence.”

“New evidence!? That’s impossible! There  _ can’t _ be!” Togami shouted. 

“There can’t be?” Kirigiri asked. “You were the one to give it to me.”

Togami seethed. 

“It was hidden inside the bottle of poison you gave me. I’m amazed you of all people would miss such a vital clue… truly a grave oversight.”

“Just say it already! Tell us what you found!”

“I found this.” Kirigiri held up a shard of glass. Makoto gasped. “It had sunk to the bottom of the bottle. And the hidden clue was exposed thanks to you ingesting the powder. I couldn’t have solved the mystery without this, so thank you.”

“So… what is it?” He asked. 

“Naegi,” Kirigiri turned to him. “Why don’t you explain it.”

Makoto nodded. “That piece of glass came from the rec room window. We broke it so that we could get to Ogami…” The only reason it could be there was… His theory had to be right. Up to this point, he could only suspect but… now it was practically confirmed. 

“What’s strange about it is Asahina told us that the bottle of poison should’ve been in the chem lab at that point. The fact that Togami found it there cements that. Finding a shard of glass in the bottle means that it was in the rec room when we entered it.”

“Then,” Kirigiri picked up. “The bottle somehow found its way back onto the left shelf in the chem lab. Meanwhile, the protein container we found at the crime scene was planted there. That had to have been after the locked room was opened.”

“Wait… hold on! You’re moving too fast!” Togami said. “I’ll admit that the poison bottle may have been in the rec room when the door was unlocked, but how can you say that the protein container was placed there afterwards!?”

Makoto sighed. “It’s simple. The container was on top of the glass I had knocked out of the window. Someone had placed it there. And I think that person was Asahina.”

“But- If the container wasn’t there when she died, how was she poisoned!? How can you say that!? How can you know what I don’t know!?” Togami shouted, distressed. 

Makoto’s fuse was short, and he couldn’t keep himself from snapping. “Oh, _ get over yourself, _ Togami! Just admit that you’re wrong! You didn’t figure it out this time!”

Togami’s mouth snapped shut, and his eyes narrowed. 

“I’m tired of you dismissing us just because you’re too prideful to just admit you weren’t right about this!”

“Then tell me  _ Naegi, _ if Asahina wasn’t the one who did it, then who did!?”

Makoto sighed. He looked over at Kirigiri for support, and she nodded. It was time to finally reveal the truth. “It… It was Ogami.”

Togami gasped. “Ogami!? How-”

Makoto sighed once more, effectively cutting him off. “We’ve been looking at this case wrong the entire time.”

“Precisely. This is the only explanation that leaves no question unanswered. Although, before we proceed, we need to establish who retrieved the poison from the chem lab and took it to the rec room.”

Hagakure scratched his head. “I was Asahina, right? She got it and took it there to give to Ogami.”

Makoto shook his head. “No, it was definitely Ogami. We know that she was the one who got the poison because she was the one who dropped the poison bottle in front of the cabinets.”

> **< <SELECTED TRUTH BULLET: YELLOW POWDER**

“On one of Ogami’s shoes, I found yellow powder. The same poison that she spilled in the chem lab while trying to find something to poison herself with.”

“N-no, it was me- the poison-!” Asahina cried. Makoto shook his head. “Asahina… It’s over. We know you lied… just, give it up, will you? We know that one who killed Ogami was Ogami herself.”

Togami gasped. “Wh-what…? The killer was… Ogami?”

“I know it’s hard to believe but… there really isn’t another explanation.”

“So you’re saying… Asahina consciously deceived us to make it look like she killed Ogami?” Togami asked.

Makoto nodded. “If the rest of you still don’t believe us, then let me go through the case once more, and then things should become clear to you.”

> **< <CLOSING ARGUMENT!>>**

“This case began when Ogami asked three people to meet with her in the rec room. Those people were Togami, Hagakure, and Fukawa.”

“But one of them headed out a bit earlier than the others- Fukawa. She got there one step ahead of everyone else and looked around for a good hiding spot. And she found it. She crawled into the locker to get out of sight. Then, from the inside of the locker, she saw Ogami enter the room.”

“Next to arrive was Hagakure. When he got there, he mistakenly thought that Ogami was going to kill him, so he panicked. Without thinking, he grabbed a nearby Monokuma bottle and attacked Ogami with it. Thinking he’d killed her, he hastily began covering up his crime. He took a magazine from the table and forged a dying message from Ogami. To that end, he wrote a name. Fukawa. By writing her name, he hoped to pin the crime on her.”

“But of course Fukawa was there to witness the whole thing, so as soon as the coast was clear, she jumped out of the locker and hid the magazine on the shelf with all the others. But in her rush, she made one little mistake. She accidentally put the magazine back upside down.”

“Soon after, she heard a sound behind her, and when she turned around, Ogami was standing in front of her, covered in blood. Fukawa then fainted. This caused her personality to switch to Genocide Jill. When Jill woke up, she also saw the blood-soaked Ogami, and she freaked out. And just like Hagakure, she grabbed a Monokuma bottle and attacked her with it. This explains why there were two wounds on Ogami’s head.”

“Assuming that Ogami was really dead this time, she set about disposing of the evidence. She gathered up the broken Monokuma bottle pieces and the Monokuma figure. That explains how Ogami was attacked twice with the same sort of weapon.”

“Although, even after those blows, Ogami was still alive. She left the rec room to retrieve the poison that killed her, and came back to create the locked room, then drinking the poison.”

“Later on, the rest of us discovered that her body was in there. We had to smash the window to get inside. But someone already knew what happened… knew that she committed suicide. That same someone quietly snatched the poison off the ground, and while nobody was looking, replaced it with an empty protein container.”

“They did all of this just to place suspicion on themselves in an attempt to lead the trial to a false conclusion. And the one who went through all that effort was Asahina!” Makoto concluded.

“That’s the full truth of this case…”

Asahina burst into tears, and her quiet sobs filled the otherwise silent courtroom.

“Ogami took her own life… And you claimed to be the killer to hide that fact.”

“That’s… what happened?” Togami said in disbelief. “But, Naegi- how did you-? How did you manage to-?” Togami huffed. “How were you able to discover the truth that even I couldn’t discern!?” 

“That’s simple,” Makoto began. “Not all of us act according to calculations and cost-benefit diagrams. That’s what makes us so complicated. That’s why you don’t understand… and that’s why you couldn’t solve this case.”

Togami made a strangled sound.

Kirigiri smirked. “When you dismiss other people’s feelings, It’ll come back to bite you in the end.”

Togami was silent.

> **< <CLASS TRIAL: END!>>**

“Okay, Okay, You’ve made your point!” Monokuma said. “Have you all forgotten that you haven’t voted yet? Well, either way, you still have to do it. It’s voting time! Go ahead and cast your votes! Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one!? What’s it gonna’ be…?”

The large slot machine popped up, and Makoto stared at it as the faces spun by. Eventually, it landed on Ogami’s face. The words ‘guilty’ flashed below it.

“Yep, that’s right. The one who killed Ogami was Ogami herself. Okay… we’re done here.” Monokuma turned away from them.

“So… that’s what happened.” Togami began. “But, there’s one thing I Still don’t understand… Asahina, why did you try to cover up what really happened? If the truth hadn’t come to light, you would’ve died alongside the rest of us.”

Asahina sighed sadly, tears streaming down her face. “Because… that’s exactly what I wanted!”

“What…?” Makoto said, confused. Why would she want all of them to die?

“I mean, the reason Ogami died is because all of you pushed her into a corner! You… you all killed her. So that’s why I couldn’t let her be the only one who died!”

Jill raised an eyebrow. “You mean… you were gonna’ take us all with you?”

“We have to atone for our sins. Because everyone, even me, killed her. Do you realize how much despair Ogami carried with her when she died!?” Asahina held up a note. “Look at this!?” Makoto walked over to her to get a better look at it. It read,

> _ ‘Such brutality has made me desperate. So instead of just waiting to be killed, I’ll do it by my own hand.’ _

“I found it on the ground in front of the rec room. It’s Ogami’s suicide note. Thinking, I should’ve known… After Genocide Jill attacked me, and Ogami got angry and stormed out of the nurse’s office, I ran after her. She told me that she didn’t care if she suffered for that… That everything was her fault. She was angry because she thought that I was suffering for her. She thought that it was her fault that I got hurt… She thought that people would start killing each other because of her… She thought that she was responsible for everything. That’s why she asked to meet with everyone… She wanted to give everyone a reason to forgive her. She completely believed in all of us… and she was betrayed! You trampled all over her feelings and nearly killed her! That’s how far you pushed her! You drove her to suicide!” 

Asahina’s tears continued to pour down her face. “We killed her… all of us. People like us shouldn't be allowed to live!”

Everyone looked at her with both understanding and contempt. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt you when you’re just about to deliver the final tearjerker, but it’s just taking so  _ long. _ I’m _ super _ bored over here! I mean, do you  _ actually _ think you kno0w what Ogami was thinking when she died?”

“What… what are you saying?” Asahina asked. 

“Everything you just said is your interpretation, right? Your own opinion on what the note said?”

“Of course I know what she was thinking-!”

“Well, what I’m really trying to say is… don’t you think the entire foundation is shaky? What if it was really like this?” Monokuma held up an envelope. From what he could tell, it read ‘Last testament, Ogami Sakura.’

“W-what is that?” Hagakure asked. 

“A suicide note,” Monokuma said simply. “Ogami’s suicide note. Hmm? You all look a little confused? Oh, yeah, I wrote the one that Asahina found. That was all me, baby! This is the one addressed to Asahina. It was in her room.”

Asahina went pale. “What…? So then, you lied to me…?”

“Oh, don't say  _ lie _ , it makes it sound so dirty! I just wanted to liven things up a bit! I can’t help it if you took my little scribbles at face value. It didn’t even have Ogami’s signature on it!”

Makoto bit his lip. He couldn’t say anything. It was entirely up to Asahina to interpret it as Ogami’s note. 

“So, what did she write i9n her real suicide note?” Kirigiri asked. 

“I’m glad you asked! Let me read it to you in my melodic narrator voice!”

With a short pause, Monokuma held the note in front of him and cleared his throat.

“My good friend Asahina, there’s something I have to tell you. I hate to do it like this, but you need to know. This is my final wish. As you know, I’ve been giving information to the one who’s imprisoned you here. It was our first night here when the mastermind came to see me. You see, the mastermind took control of my family’s dojo, and demanded I become their tool. You might not see the importance of a dojo, but my family has watched over it for over three hundred years. I couldn’t let it be destroyed under my watch, so even if it meant my own life, I needed to protect it. That’s how I saw things. However, that was my greatest weakness, and because of that, I ended up giving in to the mastermind. What the mastermind wanted from me was nothing less than murder. They were probably worried that until the first murder had happened, nothing would move forward. But what neither the mastermind nor I expected was the incident with Maizono. At that point, the plan had changed. The mastermind told me to hold off- to wait until we reached another stalemate. However, as I lived here with all of you, my resolve began to weaken. I finally saw my mistake of succumbing to the mastermind. And most importantly, I could not continue to betray those who called me their friend.”

Makoto nodded to himself sadly. That’s why she was fighting Monokuma. It was an act of resistance. It was so she didn’t have to continue to betray her friends. Makoto felt terrible that she felt she had to do that to keep the peace in the school. He would need to make sure that her sacrifice was not in vain. 

After pausing, Monokuma continued. “Of course, I understand if you all hate me. It is because of my own weakness. I’m perfectly willing to accept any attack you may plan to make on me. So, this is my atonement for betraying you… this is what I had in mind. Unfortunately, though, that is not enough. I cannot just accept your hatred. My own situation started having an effect on people other than me, which is exactly what the mastermind wanted. I have an obligation to get this situation under control. And, to fill that obligation, I’m going to do as the mastermind commanded. I will do as I was told, and I will commit murder. But, I’ve decided that the one I’m going to kill is… myself. If the mastermind demands I kill someone, then that someone will be me. Then everyone will be safe. When I die, the source of our current conflict dies with me. For that, I’m willing to give up my life. Whatever you think of me now, just know that you are all my most treasured friends.” Monokuma paused once more. 

Makoto wasn’t one to cry. He wasn’t one to show his emotions, but he felt tears trail down his cheeks. Ogami had laid down her life for all of them. Makoto had great respect for her. He didn’t know _ anyone _ who would truly sacrifice themselves for others. To do that… to be that brave, that courageous… How could Makoto not shed a tear for her?

Asahina cupped a hand over her mouth, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. Makoto frowned. “Then Ogami…” She stayed silent, still processing the fact that the note she found was a fabrication.

Before anyone could speak up on the matter, Monokuma spoke up once more. “Finally, Asahina I would like to apologize to you especially. The reason I didn’t tell you any of this is because I know you would try to stop me. I’m really, truly sorry, but please don’t be sad. If I can thwart the mastermind’s plans, that’s enough for me. Please use this note to bring the class trial to a quick end. I’m so sorry to ask you to do something so unpleasant, but I’m leaving the rest to you. Lastly, Asahina, do whatever it takes to survive. Survive along with everyone else. No matter what, just survive.”

Asahina’s sobs got louder, and Makoto wiped a few stray tears from his cheeks. He couldn’t believe he was crying…

Monokuma laughed. “You see, thanks to you, her death nearly had no purpose! She died trying to stop you from killing each other, but you nearly did it anyway! It’s all because of Ogami’s stupid meddling that we’re in this situation in the first place! Everyone should blame her! Now then, the next victim has been decided!”

Makoto gasped. What did he mean by that? Since the culprit was also the victim, there was no one to execute… It couldn’t be that he was planning to execute Asahina…? Right?

Hagakure frowned. “I’m not gonna’ blame Ogami or Asahina for this! The only one to blame is you! The only one who should be punished is you!”

Monokuma glared at him. “Me!? Don’t you remember that this is a killing game between all of you!? Your enemy is each other!”

Togami pushed his glasses up his nose, face scrunched in ire towards the bear. “He’s right about that.” Before he could finish what he was going to say, Monokuma butted in. “Ahh, lovely Togami! You understand, don’t you!?”

Makoto frowned at Togami. He thought that Togami had changed, at least a little bit...

Togami’s glare hardened. “This is a life or death elimination match. The only way to survive is to win. Which is why… I’m bowing out of the game.”

“Huh…?” Monokuma turned his head to the side. 

Makoto’s frown dissipated. He _ had _ changed…

“I’m bowing out of the game. It seems like everyone else has cast aside their fear for the game, and there’s no point in playing a game with a lacklustre sense of excitement.”

That was certainly the  _ Togami _ way to put it, that‘s for sure. 

“W-What!?” Monokuma said, surprised.

“Now I only have one thing to look forward to. To heap the harshest possible punishment on the one who thinks that they can control me.”

“Hmph. How boring.” Monokuma turned his back to them. “But nothing good can come of this…” He turned back, sporting a chilling grin. “I’m still gonna be the one having fun this time! It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s punishment time!”

Everyone gasped. Asahina spoke up reluctantly, turning to look at Monokuma. “I-is it me…?”

“Oh, heavens no! Just because the blackened is dead, doesn’t mean that I can just sub in any student I want! So, for this punishment, I’ve prepared a special guest! Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s punishment time!”

Suddenly, everyone turned to where an unsuspecting Alter Ego was perched atop a platform. A large excavator for construction work rolled up behind the laptop and loomed over it. The arm of the vehicle raised, and slammed down, smashing the laptop. It rose once more and came down once more, going faster and faster each time until Alter Ego was nothing but a mess of parts. Then, the arm squashed the pieces of meal and computer chips into a round ball, adorned with Monokuma’s signature features. 

The person that Monokuma executed was… Alter Ego.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that one was certainly a doozy! Sorry for cutting it off there, I just wanted to make it as short as possible... which didn't work because it's still over 12000 words! Anyway, I'd like to ask you about something. It's regarding the sequel I've been talking about. I'm very sure that I'm going to write it, but I'm wondering about something. If I did it following the events of DR:AE, I would most likely switch the point of view from Makoto, who would be at the future foundation, worried about Byakuya, and Toko and Komaru. I was wondering if you would want to see Tokomaru be a part of that fic? I also really adore that ship, but I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone who doesn't ship them, although, I'm sure most of you do, haha. Please leave your opinions in the comments! 'Till next time! Bye!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading the first chapter! I really hope that you enjoyed it. I'm really excited to get started on the next chapter, so expect it to be out in the next few weeks. Feel free to leave any feedback in the comments, and if you spot any mistakes make sure to notify me about them so that I can fix them. Also, I apologize for the lack of Naegami, this chapter is just supposed to set up the plot. Thanks! Have a nice day!


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